


Aurors

by Emelie_Divine, Twintails92



Series: Aurors [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Auror Partners, Aurors, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Battle of Hogwarts, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Brutal Murder, Burns is a bad professor, Comatose, Crying, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Demon, Demon Blood, Detective Draco, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, Draco Malfoy is Clueless About Muggle Things, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Drunkenness, Duelling, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, First Kiss, Gen, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Harry Being Harry, Harry Potter Being an Idiot, Harry doesn't know how muggle medicine works, Healing Magic, Heavy Angst, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts has a mind of its own, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, In Public, Jealousy, Kissing, Knockturn Alley, Legilimency (Harry Potter), Living Hogwarts, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Making Out, Memory Charm | Obliviate (Harry Potter), Men Crying, Minerva McGonagall Bashing, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Minor Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Minor Violence, Misunderstandings, Murder, Nightmares, Occlumency (Harry Potter), POV Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson Gossip Queen, Party, Patronus Charm (Harry Potter), Pining, Potions, Powerful Magic, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rating: M, Runes, Sarcasm, Sassy Pansy Parkinson, Sexual Assault, Story within a Story, Students, Study of Ancient Runes (Harry Potter), Studying, Swearing, Tearjerker, Threesome - F/M/M Tease, Vampires, Violence, Vomiting, Wandless Magic (Harry Potter), Werewolves, scary story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 120,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28201530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emelie_Divine/pseuds/Emelie_Divine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twintails92/pseuds/Twintails92
Summary: It was a long time since she had felt like this, like a demon. Orion stood still and looked at her. He said nothing because he didn’t have to. She could feel that he was sending calming emotions to her through the bond. But somehow it made her feel even more angry. She screamed again, louder this time. More potion bottles exploded behind her and Orion’s desk moved dangerously. Orion now knew the seriousness of the situation and walked over to her an touched her gently on the cheek. “Show me your eyes.” His voice was soft but firm. It was a command, not a request. He didn’t use the power he had over her often but times like these when the bond was not enough he had to use the other option. She had no choice but to open her eyes to him. His frowned deepened. He did not like what he was seeing. Artemis could feel the worry and slight anger pulsing of the man. “You need to calm down. Now. Or I wont hesitate to knock you out.” She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. This time she let the calming emotions wash over her and she relaxed. Orion had cupped her face in his hands and he was stroking both her cheeks with his thumbs, similar to what she had done to him many years ago.
Series: Aurors [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2065800
Kudos: 12





	1. Bringer of Bad News

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTICE: This is the continuation of Aurors, Prologue! I strongly recommend you read that before starting on this one as it contains information/events that will not be explained here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003134/chapters/68593095  
> Thank to @Emelie_Divine for co-creating and for being my beta!
> 
> The world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, the OC belongs to Emelie_Divine and myself.

**1999**

Artemis Blackmoore was falling asleep at her desk, the quill she had in her hand was slowly slipping out of her grip. Even though it had been over a year since the war ended the workload for the Aurors had not lessened. There were still Death Eaters to catch, people to interrogate, muggles to Obliviate and so much more. Not to forget the never-ending pile of paperwork, when one case closed another one opened. To make matters worse they still had to do nightly rounds around the more notorious places in London, so far this had resulted in the catching of a fair share of lesser Death Eaters on the run but for the most part none of them had really seen Voldemort so they had no useful information. She frowned as she felt a feeling of amusement running through her. She opened her eyes to see Orion Silver was looking at her with a slight grin on his face from the other side of his desk. They had met at Hogwarts and went into Auror training together, even though Orion had taken a side path to become a Potion Master they had ended up as partners in the end. “You would be sleepy too if you had three night shifts in a row.” She huffed a bit when he started to snicker. “You could take a nap on the sofa you know?” He pointed to the black leather sofa that stood along one of the walls of the office. It had been a hand-me-down from the previous tenant of the office and seeing as they still fit their desk in there it had stayed. Artemis’s desk was on the opposite wall from the sofa and behind her were three big shelves filled with books on seemingly every subject imaginable. She liked knowing a little about everything, it came in handy in the field. As well as saving time in a dangerous situation. On more than one occasion she had managed to figure out a counter spell for something without calling the curse breakers. Her proudest subject, however, were Defence Against the Dark Arts and she had been a teacher for the junior Aurors on the subject when they were in need of extra help. Behind Orion’s desk were three similar shelves but they were filled with potion ingredients and potion vials of all shapes and sizes. The man had become one of the youngest potion masters the Ministry had ever had and therefore in addition to being a field agent he was an advisor in cases involving potion smuggling. For this purpose he had a mini potion lab in the corner of the office for simple potion making and testing on unknown ones. It was those days that Artemis hated the fact they were underground and the windows were just fake. Usually, they managed to keep their office fairly tidy but these days there were papers and books littered everywhere, all of the Aurors’ offices looked like this these days, to be honest. As Artemis was about to answer her partner a red paper air plane came flying through the hole over the door. The colour meant that it was from the Head Auror, Gawain Robards himself and that usually meant an emergency. Artemis banged her head on her desk in frustration, she swore if this was another of those Full-Blood Madams who ‘swore’ they had seen a Death Eater in their garden again she was going to kill someone. The plane landed softly on Orion’s desk and he quickly opened it. A wave of annoyance washed over her as she looked at him. “What does he want?” “A meeting in room 112, right now.” They both sighed as they put on their uniform cloaks and left the office on their quest to get to room 112.

Artemis looked around the open office space while they walked and thanked Merlin that she now had her own office. All the trainees and juniors shared this space and it was in utter chaos. The desks were filled with paperwork and paper planes of different colours were flying all over above their heads. Some not even finding places to land so the receiver had to catch them in the air. She caught the eye of some juniors who looked at them in awe when they passed. They quickly looked back at their own work and she had to smile. It was not that long ago it seemed that she had been sitting at one of those desks and looking at the senior Aurors walking by in their scarlet uniforms. When she herself became a Senior Auror however she had not liked the scarlet colour in the slightest, it had reminded her of some of the worst parts of her life so in protest had coloured all her uniforms a deep green. After two years the Head Auror had stopped complaining about it and let it go. It had probably helped that her partner and some other colleagues had done the same thing and pointed out that uniform colour, in the end, should not matter. Of course, this made them more recognisable inside the Ministry but it had worked in their favour on more occasion in the field. Criminals had mistaken them for Juniors and let their guard down only to get a surprise when the Senior badge was shown in their faces. Artemis waved to some of the juniors she recognised from the classes she had taught and laughed when they almost too eagerly waved back. One thing she did not miss was the noise, it was a constant string of sound no matter what you did. She was sure that if a dragon suddenly started to attack the floor above them the would not hear a thing. 

They had arrived in front of the door to room 112, Orion knocked on the door and a clear “Enter” could be heard from within. Artemis was surprised to see some other colleagues already present. Cyril Thompson, Septimus Zouch and Zacharias Zabini were sitting in a chair each and smiled at them when they entered. “Hey! It’s the power pair, took your time heh?” Zacharias grinned at them with humour in his eyes while he stood up and patted Orion on the back then patted Artemis on the head. She huffed and slapped him softly on the shoulder, the dark man only laughed in return. Septimus also stood and settled for a handshake from each of them. “Long time no see, both of you.” Artemis nodded in return then got taken by surprise by Cyril who gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. A sudden wave of jealousy flooded her that almost made her stagger. She looked harshly at her partner who looked away innocently. Cyril smirked at them both. “Still bonded I guess?” Orion rolled his eyes at him. “Yes, so back off Thompson.” There was no malice in their voices, only playful banter. But the feelings that Artemis felt was real enough and she looked between them with a motherly look. “Behave hm?” They both nodded at her. It had been a while since they all had been together like this. While Orion and herself were specialists in direct fieldwork the other three had each of their own special places. Cyril was one of the best infiltrators in the Ministry, every time they needed to send an agent into a criminal ring he was the one they sent. This made him have multiple names and faces but the one sitting before them today was the real thing. The auburn hair and blue eyes was a rare sight on the man these days. Septimus, on the other hand, had the biggest information network on this side of the country, he had informants stationed in all of the bigger cities around Europe and his main job was to track down some of the bigger Death Eaters that they were missing. His information was triple checked even before it even reached his own ears so it was usually reliable if they got a tip from one of his agents. His blond hair had darkened a little since his school days Artemis noted, but his eyes were still the same clear blue sky colour that they had always been. Lastly, there was Zacharias Zabini. He had followed the same path as Artemis and Orion but had found curse-breaking to be his calling and had made quite the name for himself. It was him that Artemis saw the most of the three and they had been partnered on multiple cases. The dark man might be a humorous idiot in the office but out on the job he was the most serious and professional agent Artemis knew of. He never left anyone behind and did his job after his own rhythm, this also gave him a bad reputation of not always following orders only beaten by Artemis herself. She often wondered if the hair loss problem their boss had had something to do with the two of them breaking so many rules. When she took a look at her own partner he had not changed a lot either since Hogwarts. His hair was still the blondest she had ever seen and his eyes were still the colour of blue ice. He turned to look at her with a puzzled look then. “What is it?” She smiled at him. “Nothing, I’m just thinking that none of us has changed much since Hogwarts.” Zacharias raised an eyebrow at her. “Speak for yourself, miss! Do you know what a hairdresser is? When was the last time you cut your hair?” Artemis thought for a moment and realised it was a while since she had cut it. Her brown hair reached her tailbone at this point but it didn’t really bother her and she just magically put it up if she needed. She shrugged as a response and Zacharias laughed. Cyril gave her a smile. “Those eyes of yours are still the same though, a beautiful brown with specks of gold. It's reassuring to see.” The rest of the men nodded and they all grew quiet. 

The Head Auror walked into the room and told everyone to sit down. They quickly took a seat and waited patiently for what their boss wanted. For him to summon all of them together like this could not be a good thing. The man in front of them looked incredibly uncomfortable when he looked over at Artemis. ‘Well this will be fun’ She thought. He coughed and took a sip of his coffee cup that he had brought. “Right, you are probably wondering why all of you are here today.” They all nodded in unison. Robards coughed again before continuing. “Well, it so happens that Headmistress McGonagall has requested your aid with regards to the safety of her students at Hogwarts” Septimus raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Sir, there are already at least 20 agents out in that area, why does she need us specifically?” The others waited for their boss to answer. Robards moved around in his chair like it was the last place he wanted to be. “It seems like one of her students has received letters of threats on his life by other students and she is worried about how this will affect the others.” Orion spoke up then. “If this is about Harry Potter Sir that is already covered is it not? Frankly, the boy can take care of himself if you ask me.” Roberts nodded in agreement. “Yes, but this is not about him Auror Silver. This is about Draco Malfoy.” The group looked at their boss in surprise. “But if this is about students bothering other students shouldn’t the teachers do something? Besides the boy is on probation, he doesn’t even have a wand most of the time.” Artemis could feel her anger rise, this seemed all too familiar. Orion put a hand on her knee carefully and she calmed slightly. “This is where you come in Auror Blackmoore. Apparently, you made quite an impression on the boy during his trials and he asked for you specifically to be his bodyguard. The Headmistress for some reason insisted that you all come with Auror Blackmoore on this mission.” Artemis didn’t know what she had done to give the boy such a good impression of herself. Back then they were stretching the Auror corp thinner than ever and everyone had to do everything no matter rank. You got a job, you did it. The brunette had been chosen to take care of the young Malfoy before his trial. The poor boy had been like a scared little animal and had barely talked at all the first day. But somehow she had gotten him to open up to her, but according to her, she hadn’t really done anything special. Maybe that was the whole point. She had treated him like a person and that was enough. During the trial, she had been standing right behind him the entire time like a shadow and had requested brakes when she saw that he could not take it anymore. It was one of the longest trials she had ever been apart of. In the end, the boy had gotten away with a yearly probation that included him finish school and that he stayed out of trouble. His wand was also not to be used unless it was for teaching purposes. The boy had more tracking charms on him than a dragon she assumed. 

“So we are taking turns to travel back and forth then?” Zacharias asked. Robards looked even more uncomfortable now as he peeked a look at Artemis. “No, Auror Zabini. You are all going to be living in the castle until the school year is over.” The room erupted in shouts and questions. They had too much work to just put on hold for something like this, surely he could send another group to do this? Artemis sat in her chair, her thoughts were swimming. She was going to go back to that hellish castle that she had detested for the whole time she had been there. Only thinking about it made her sick to the stomach. Then what Robards had said earlier registered in her head. “The Headmistress for some reason insisted that you all come with Auror Blackmoore on this mission.” The Headmistress didn’t even trust her enough to send her in alone. She was still stuck in the past and by the looks of it not willing to change. Her own anger erupted from her faster than it had done in a long time. The female Auror slammed her hands on the table and stood up with such force that her chair fell backwards on the ground quieting the men arguing. They all looked at her. She looked at her boss with flashing eyes. “I refuse.” She was already down the hall before the men had a chance to react. Her heels clicked loudly on the stone floor as she walked in a fast space back to her office. The open space seemed to have quieted down somewhat when she came barging out of the room and hundreds of eyes were following her. She paid them no mind as she tore open the door to her office and slammed it shut behind her. 

Artemis didn’t even try to stop herself from destroying the office. The magic went wild inside the room, furniture, books, papers, potion bottles, everything was flying in every direction and crashing into the walls and floors. She let out a loud scream of anger that she had been holding in. No one on the outside would know what was going on thanks to the strong wards that was on the door which she was thankful for. She stood at the centre of the room and threw some hexes at the walls and threw some papers around for good measure. Orion’s chair was floating dangerously in the air and she sent it towards the door at full speed but stopped it in the last second when the door opened. The blond Auror looked at the office with a frown and sighed. Everything was now frozen in the air and he moved the chair out of the way so that he could step in and close the door. “Don’t you dare try to convince me of going, I won't stop that chair a second time.” Her voice was filled with malice and it scared even her. It was a long time since she had felt like this, like a demon. Orion stood still and looked at her. He said nothing because he didn’t have to. She could feel that he was sending calming emotions to her through the bond. But somehow it made her feel even angrier. Did he not understand why she was feeling this way? Had he forgotten? She screamed again, louder this time. More potion bottles exploded behind her and Orion’s desk moved dangerously. Orion now knew the seriousness of the situation and walked over to her and touched her gently on the cheek. “Show me your eyes.” His voice was soft but firm. It was a command, not a request. He didn’t use the power he had over her often but times like these when the bond was not enough he had to use the other option. She had no choice but to open her eyes to him. His frowned deepened. He did not like what he was seeing. Artemis could feel the worry and slight anger pulsing of the man. “You need to calm down. Now. Or I won't hesitate to knock you out.” She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. This time she let the calming emotions wash over her and she relaxed. Orion had cupped her face in his hands and he was stroking both her cheeks with his thumbs, similar to what she had done to him many years ago.

When she opened her eyes again the man nodded and let out the breath he was holding. “Now please fix the office.” The male Auror crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor. She waved her hand and everything in the room started to get back to it’s original places. Books placed themselves where they belonged, potion bottles put themselves back together again and the furniture hopped back into place. When a minute had passed the room was back to it’s original state. Artemis sat down with a sigh on the sofa and looked up at her partner. “I’m sorry” He just shook his head and opened the door. The rest of their group walked in. Cyril sat down next to Artemis and patted her shoulder. “That bad?” She nodded and looked apologetic at them all. “What did Robards say?” Septimus sat down next to her on the other side. “We will be getting a office at the school and our own living quarters. So we can still do our other work while we are there and we will be connected to the Ministry’s floo network for easy access back to London if needed. Your main job is to watch over Malfoy and the rest of us will try and figure out which students are doing the threatening. We all have permission to go anywhere in the castle of course. This is the requirements Robards set with the Headmistress. So we have until tomorrow to decide.” Everyone looked at her expectantly. Honestly, the woman was lost on what do to. The thought of going back to that place terrified her. At the same time when she thought about the young Malfoy maybe being in the same shoes, she had been all those years ago made her feel angry again. 

“We should call it a day and think it over. Let’s meet here at 8 tomorrow morning and go over what we decide. Majority wins. Agreed?” Everyone looked at Orion and nodded. “This is like being at school again! The King giving us orders again.” Zacharias started to laugh loudly. Somehow it shifted the mood in the room enough so that it felt lighter, the rest joined in on the laughter. One by one they said their goodbyes and left the office. Artemis and Orion were soon standing in the elevator up to the exit. The blonde looked down at her. “Want to walk home?” She nodded, the fresh air would be good for them both. Sometimes she wished that the Aurors weren’t placed so far underground. It made her feel like a trapped animal, more so than usual anyhow. As the elevator reached the Atrium the sounds of people hastily walking to and from their destinations met them. The clock was almost five but there were still people running around trying to finish their last duties before going home. Most people just walked by them without a second thought but a few looked at them puzzled. Newly hired she assumed. They hadn’t seen the coloured uniforms before, not that she could blame them. There were only five Aurors in the entire force that wore the colour after all. She sighed loudly when she saw who was doing the controls at the exit that evening. Jessica Finch, the girl was sweet enough but for some reason, she talked to Artemis like they were the best of friends. Besides, the girl loved gossip and would talk non stop about who was dating who or whose wife was cheating on her husband with the maid. One thing that Artemis had figured out early was that the girl had a huge crush on Orion, which she used to her advantage. She smirked at Orion and pushed him in front of her in the line. The man then registered who sat behind the counter and she could feel the annoyance radiating off the man. She had to bite her lip from keeping the laugh from escaping. Ever vigilant Jessica noticed Orion immediately and started waving like mad at him. “Oh my! Auror Silver! You are going home early today. What is the occasion?” The girl gasped. “Do you have a date?! Oh, you have to tell me! Who is the lucky one?!” Artemis peeked at Orion in the corner of her eye and had she not known the man for ten years she would have thought that he was being his polite self. But underneath that perfect Slytherin King mask of his, there was a face that could scare away a dragon. “Managed to finish work faster today. That is all Miss _Finch.”_ His smile was almost creepy Artemis thought as she quietly snuck past him and started walking towards the next elevator. The Auror had no energy do deal with Jessica at the moment. The woman was too preoccupied with drooling over Orion’s face that she would not have noticed even if Voldemort himself walked in. 

Artemis leaned against the wall next to the elevator while she waited for Orion to be let loose from the gossip machine. She mumbled a Notice-Me-Not charm so people would stop staring. The colour of the uniform was not the only thing that had made the brunette somewhat well known inside the Ministry. Of course, she had a lot of successful big cases on her resume but success is not what people remember. It’s the failures. There had been a few times where she could not keep herself under control and had paid a big price for it. Officially the people were killed before the female Auror had gotten to the scene, unofficially the story was quite different. It was years ago now, but her statement had not changed. They deserved what they got and she did not regret it. She smirked when she saw her partner's face as he walked at a fast pace towards the elevator. If a thunderstorm had a face it would be his at the moment. He stopped in front of the elevator, pressed the button and mumbled to himself. “Could not even wait, damn woman”. Even though the bond they shared made sure that he always knew where she was it was not accurate when it came to levels. Since the Ministry was ten levels he would know that she was inside the Ministry but not which level. All the magic from the Ministry itself also disturbed the connection somewhat so it was less accurate than usual. Artemis herself could pin-point him down more accurately and would know which floor and the general direction of where he was on it. It annoyed him to no end. He probably thought that she had taken the elevator up since he could feel that she was still inside the Ministry, but could not see her. She quickly followed him inside when the elevator opened and stood silently in one corner as they began the minute long journey to the top. The man in front of her dropped the stone mask he wore in front of people and rubbed his eyes. “Why the bloody fucking hell does that damn hag need _us_. Now she will find out, what the bloody fuck do I do. She’s going to kill me.” Artemis looked at her partner confused. She had never seen him acting this desperate before. “Fuck… Artemis forgive me.” Before she could let herself be known the elevator door opened and the sight of London’s streets came to view. Orion straightened his back, looked around and started walking down the street. Artemis quickly Apparated to the alley right up the street, dropped the charm on herself and walked out just at the moment he was about to pass her. “Took you long enough. Did she try to eat you?” He jumped slightly and put a hand mockingly over his heart. “Don’t do that. Want to give me a heart attack?” She rolled her eyes at him and continued walking. The brunette decided then that she was going to pretend not to know anything for the moment.

Their apartment was a thirty minute walk from the Ministry phone box, not that the distance really mattered most days since they usually flooed or Apparated. But they had gotten lucky when they had found the apartment. The previous tenant was selling it cheap because he was certain that it was haunted. He was right of course, it was a mean old man that had insisted that it was his apartment and threatened to make their lives hell if they did not leave. One look at Artemis changed his mind quickly and he left to haunt some other apartment. Not worth haunting something that is scarier than yourself. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a medium sized kitchen and a decent sized living room. It needed some fixing here and there but it had not taken long before they had gotten it the way they wanted. Orion had also managed to spell in space for his potion lab and a library for Artemis. This was of course hidden just in case they got muggles at the door. The walls were coloured a soft grey with dark wood flooring and they had put in more modern furniture but still keeping the cosy feeling. The colour scheme was soft tones of blues and greys, with some sprinkles of green. Two rooms that stood out from the rest were their bedrooms. Artemis bedroom had a clean black wall as she used it to sort out case notes. If she was in the middle of a case there would be notes all over the wall and because of the nature of the notes her room was heavily warded. The rest of the walls were a dark grey. Other than that there were books everywhere, the three shelves she had were filled to the breaking point and the books had slowly started to spread across the floor. But it was either one more books shelf or no bed and she had been in favour of keeping the bed. Orion’s room was the opposite of hers. His walls were coloured a light blue and since he had managed to fit in a potion lab it was free of ingredients and the usual clutter that followed. A simple reading desk was placed alongside one wall with the bed on the opposite one. He had also covered the floor with a beige soft carpet, the man might have lived in the dungeons at school but that did not mean he liked having cold feet in the morning.

The Aurors locked themselves inside and Artemis threw herself on the sofa with a groan. Orion clicked his tongue at her. “At least take off your uniform first.” She groaned louder in protest but got up to go to her bedroom to change. The brunette quickly changed into some more comfortable clothes and went to the kitchen where she could hear Orion shuffling around. The blond turned around and looked at her. “Planning to heat up leftovers from yesterday, ok?” Artemis wasn’t really hungry but just nodded. He was going to force it down her throat no matter what she said anyway. She threw herself on the sofa again and stretched. It was calming to listen to her partner moving around in the kitchen and her eyes started to droop slowly.

Orion frowned when he called Artemis for the third time but still didn’t get an answer. He peeked out of the kitchen and could see one of her arms laying over the end of the sofa. The blond sighed and put the plate of food on the dining table, placing a stasis charm on it as he went. He walked over to the sofa and looked over the back of it. The female Auror was in a deep sleep from the looks of it. This was one of the moments he treasured these days when her face looked peaceful. It had been a close call at the office today, her eyes had almost reverted back to the solid gold they used to be when the demon took completely over. He feared the day when he had to tell her the secret he had been keeping for over a year now. The blond stroked her cheek carefully and brushed some hair out of her face. He grinned, she really did need a haircut. Orion took the blanket from the end of the sofa and placed it over her and went over to the dining table to eat his dinner. He had told the others that the majority votes won, but they all knew that it was a lie. Artemis was the one that decided what they were going to do. If she pulled out they all would. He stabbed his food with unnecessary force. McGonagall could go to hell for all he cared. During school, he had not really cared about her in any form, negative or positive. But that all changed after he had met Artemis. He then saw what kind of monsters people could be for their own winnings. Suddenly the lights started to flicker around him and he froze. He carefully got out of his chair and walked over to Artemis on the sofa. Her face was now twisted into a scared expression, she tossed around on the small space. The blond knew that waking her now could be dangerous. He had learned that the hard way. He quickly went into his potion lab and got the most foul smelling one he had and went back into the living room. He hovered the bottle close to her nose as he could get it and within seconds she was on the floor coughing and gagging. “I… I hate you…” She coughed out eventually, tears streaming down her face. Orion just rolled his eyes. “I guess I could let you continue with the nightmare then so that you could break all the lights in the apartment. Again.” He didn’t mean to sound so cold as he did and sent apologetic feelings through the bond as he walked over to her. Artemis got up from the floor on unsteady feet. “I think I’ll just go to bed.” For once he didn’t argue. He didn’t need to ask what the nightmare had been about after what happened today and watched her go to her room. The man looked over to the dining room table at the plates of food and sighed. Tomorrow was going to be hell. 


	2. Secrets Revealed

The group was all back at the office at eight as planned. Silence filled the space while they were sipping their coffees waiting for Artemis to voice her opinion. She could feel the tension in the room as she looked at the men before her. Once these men had been the boys who had saved her from a world of hurt, and now it was her choice to go back to the same place that they had saved her from. Was she really willing to go back to that for only one boy? A frustrated groan escaped her and the men turned their attention on her. Orion was looking at her with a expression that she had a hard time placing. Nervousness, tension and something else had been radiating off the man since they had entered the Ministry. Zacharias got up from the sofa, placed his coffee cup on her desk and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Listen. If it was my brother that wanted our help I would not hesitate to go to Hogwarts. Would you follow me if McGonagall insisted that all of you had to come?” He looked at her seriously while she thought about it. In the end, she nodded. The woman knew how much his little brother meant for him and it would be cruel to not follow him if the situation called for it. He smiled at her then. “Now think that the Malfoy kid is my little brother as well. I mean he practically is, since he is Blaise’s best friend and all. Does that change your decision?” She frowned at the logic the man was using on her. After some minutes of thinking it over, she shook her head no. The tense air in the room shifted somewhat and Zacharias gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “I am sure the boy wanted you for a specific reason. If I know that boy as well as I think I do he did not pick you at random. That is not in his character. Besides we will all be there protecting you from yourself alright?” Septimus spoke up from his spot on the sofa. “Queen is right. We are all with you from the beginning this time. Now we have the authority to do something about the injustice that Hogwarts are facing among its students.” The others voiced their agreement. Artemis thought to herself that at least she was able to see the old potion master again which brought some light into the dark situation. “We better start the preparations to leave then.” She got up from her chair and walked to the door. “I’ll tell Robards what we have decided.” The familiar sounds of the open office space met her as she walked out of her office. It was just as chaotic as it had been the day before. The same juniors looked at her as she passed them on her way to the Head Aurors office. She thought about her decision again and deemed that Zabini had been right. Malfoy had probably chosen her with a thought in mind. He was a scared and nervous boy when they had met the first time, but she could still tell that behind all that was an intelligent and calculating man. Like all the Malfoys before him no doubt. With his mother in house arrest in France and his father in Azkaban, the young Malfoy had no choice but to rely on his own powers. Not an easy feat when the Malfoy name was now smeared in mud from their actions during the war.

The female Auror knocked on the door to her boss office and was let in quickly. Robards was sitting behind his desk in his usual position. Covered in papers and coffee cup in hand. “Ah, Auror Blackmoore. What a surprise. You have come to a conclusion on yesterdays meeting then?” He pointed to one of the chairs that were standing before his desk for her to sit down. She chose to remain standing. “Yes Sir. I have decided to take on the job. We discussed that there must be a reason for Mr Malfoy to choose me by name and therefore we have decided to go. All of us.” The Head Auror looked at her surprised. It seemed he had been expecting a different answer. “Well, that is indeed surprising. Considering your past with the place I was sure you would never go near it again. Which would have been understandable, I had already prepared the letter to the Headmistress of you not going but I see that I have to change that now.” He looked at her curiously. “Can I ask what made you change your mind?” “Zabini can be convincing when he wants to Sir.” The Auror in front of her looked even more confused than before but he didn’t question it anymore. “Very well, you will all be leaving first thing tomorrow. I know it is sudden but the Headmistress insisted that you came as soon as possible. There will be a portkey waiting for you at 7 o’clock in the Atrium tomorrow morning.” Artemis nodded in understanding and turned to leave. “Oh before you go Auror Blackmoore. Seeing as I know of your situation with the place don’t hesitate to send me an owl if you wish to be pulled out of the mission. I will take the fight to the Headmistress if it is necessary. No Aurors of mine shall go through unnecessary torture for one kid.” She looked at him dumbfounded for a second before she nodded and left. There were a lot of things you could say about Robards but he always made sure that his employees were treated fairy on any job they did. 

Now that she was outside again she could feel Orion on the other end of their bond. He was scared for some reason and it puzzled her. Had something happened in her absence? She quickly made her way back to their shared office but when she entered the four Aurors were just discussing a recent case Cyril had been on. The feeling became more dominant however when her eyes met Orion’s. Just as he looked away the feeling got replaced by a calm one and it confused her even more but she decided that she was leaving it alone. Did it have something to do with what he had said to himself in the elevator yesterday? Did he share this secret with the other three? It made her feel sad that it was something he discussed with them and not her. They did tell each other everything, mostly because they had no choice in the matter but also because it made their everyday life easier. She leaned on her desk and told them what Robards had told her. “Well, time to go home and pack then!” Septimus seemed almost too eager to go, not weird seeing as he mostly spent his days locked in his own office these days. Zacharias groaned loudly. “Time to go and finish all the paperwork I haven’t done then… see ya tomorrow.” He followed a happy Septimus out the door with shuffling feet. Orion looked over to Cyril. “Don’t you have to finish something before you leave?” The man shrugged in response. “I suppose I have something, but listen King choose your words carefully yeah? See ya tomorrow.” He blew a kiss in Artemis’s direction and went out the door. The brunette looked at Orion confused. “What did he mean by that?” The blond just shook his head in response. “It doesn’t matter, let’s finish some of the paperwork then go home and pack.” She had to bite her lip to not respond with a rude remark but did as she was told. The rest of the day went by in a slow pace but they did manage to finish a good heap of paperwork. Seeing as time was not on their side they took the floo system home this time and quickly went into their own rooms to pack.

Artemis had to swallow down the bile in her throat more than once during the process of packing. She wondered if she had made the wrong choice after all. This might be the mission that finally killed her emotionally. But at the same time when she thought about how Draco might be in the same situation that she had been in years ago the brunette became determined again. At least Snape would be there for support. She hadn’t seen the man in quite a long time and had felt guilty for not contacting him so now getting to meet him lifted her spirit. She was brought out of her musings by the smell of food from the kitchen and walked outside to the living room. Orion was humming softly while he stirred in a pot. Feeling sentimental for a moment she went over to him and hugged him from behind. The man froze for a second before placing his hand over hers. “Done packing?” She nodded. He hummed in response while continuing to stir. They stood in silence for a while just enjoying each other’s company. None of them had ever talked about what they were to one another. Some looked at them as lovers, others as rivals. Both of them had lovers in the past but it had never lasted long, because of the special situation of their bond they always got their emotions mixed up. Was the feeling of love meant for her or the woman Orion was currently seeing? It was a mess. In the end, they had both made a silent agreement not to see other people. It was easier this way. They had separate bedrooms but once in while one would sneak into the bed of the other. What happened those nights were never spoken of the next morning. But it still felt right to Artemis when it happened. She tightened her hold of him and he tried to look at her over his shoulder. “What is it? Nervous for tomorrow?” Artemis just stood there and said nothing, he charmed the spoon to stir itself and moved around in her arms so he was now facing her. “You heard what Zabini said right? You won't be alone this time.” He smiled softly at her, the one smile that he never showed anyone else but her. “At least I’ll see Severus again. He must have been busy these days seeing I haven’t heard from him.” The man in her arms tensed up suddenly and he cleared his throat. “Ah yeah, he has probably been busy with the new students and all.” Artemis tilted her head to one side while raising her eyebrow at him. “I suppose…” Before she could say anything else the blond wiggled his way out of her grip and turned his attention back to the simmering pot. “Well dinner is done, let’s eat yeah?” With a flick of his wand plates and cutlery came flying out of their respective cupboards and placed themselves on the dinner table. Artemis looked at her friend while he walked out with the pot into the living room. It looked like he was running away from her but once again she figured it was best to ignore it. She had a feeling that if she asked he would not answer her anyway.

Orion had not slept at all the night before, thoughts of what he was going to do today had been swimming around in his head. The day that he had dreaded for so long had finally arrived. He had to tell her today or she would figure it out of her own and the first target of her anger would be him. Because of the branding, she could of course not kill him, but it did not stop her from trying. The only one that they were waiting for was Zacharias, he still had ten minutes before the portkey would leave but the man was cutting it close at this point. Robards was impatiently tapping his foot while he kept casting a Tempus. “That damn Zabini, always late! You will have to leave without him at his point.” Just then the man came running down towards them. “Sorry, Sir! I fell asleep on my desk doing paperwork and had to quickly go home and pack.” He looked at his boss with a sheepish grin. Robards hit him over the head. “Idiot! Now get ready all of you. The portkey will drop you off by the bridge and you will have to walk from there. You are to go straight for the Main Hall, the students should be eating breakfast when you arrive. The Headmistress will introduce you to all of the students and give a short speech about why you are all there. Got it?” They all nodded as the gripped the portkey that looked like a toy boat. “Auror Blackmoore remember what I told you yesterday. Now be off!” Orion looked at her in question but she just nodded at their boss. Suddenly he felt the familiar pulling sensation and they were thrown into the short dimension of portkey travels. It lasted only for a few seconds and they soon stood in front of the bridge that led to the main entrance of Hogwarts. 

He looked at the castle in awe, it had been nearly five years since he had been here last and the castle looked bigger than he remembered. The last time he had been here he had come to get Snape’s approval for his Potion Master degree. The thought of the old potion master made him remember what he had to do then and his mood grew sombre. “Wow! Looks just as spooky as always. Seems like the repairs after the war have been mostly completed though.” Zacharias said as he looked around. “It’s the same fog that is for sure, you can’t even see the astronomy tower.” Septimus added as he squinted in the direction of said tower. The man was right, the fog was laying across the castle and its grounds like a thick blanket. It made the castle look foreboding in a sense. Orion met Cyril’s eyes as the other man grabbed Septimus and Zacharias and started to drag them towards the bridge. “Come on we better go.” Artemis was starting to follow but Orion grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at him confused.”Orion?” He took a deep breath. “I need to show you something before we go to the castle. But before we go I just want to say that I am sorry and I understand that you will hate me for what I’ve kept from you.” She looked at him with worry now as he started to go in the direction of the lake. The castle had somehow driven the Forbidden Forest further away and made a clearing next to the lake which the staff had made into a cemetery for the ones that did not have a family that died during the battle. Everything from magical creatures to staff was buried here. 

The closer to the cemetery they got the more confused feelings were coming of off Artemis through the bond. He dreaded this even more for every step and he wanted to run away now more than ever. But this had to be done, he knew it. When they entered the cemetery he went towards the back where the staff had been buried. He could see the gravestone now and let go of Artemis. He turned to look at her and knew immediately that she had seen it. Her face was set in an unreadable expression. The blond noted that she had cut off the bond and he could not feel anything from her. The man moved aside from the path and let her walk past him. The witch moved like she was in a trance towards the grave and sat down heavily in front of it.

_Severus Snape_

_09.01.1960 - 02.05.1998_

Orion closed his eyes and waited for the world of hurt that was going to come his way. He had kept this secret ever since he had gotten an owl from the former Potion Master a few weeks before the last battle. He had foreseen that he would not survive the battle to come and had insisted that Orion would not tell Artemis of his death before the time was right. He had feared it was going to break the woman and make her even more unstable. The former professor had put his entire trust into him with that letter. Orion had gotten word after the battle was over that the older man had been right in the fact that he would not survive. He had kept his sorrow hidden from Artemis to his best ability but had done what he had promised the older man. He felt relieved now that he could let go of the heavy burden but he could not help but feel some anger towards the man. Artemis was now ripped out of a reality she never even knew was fake all along. “How long have you known?” Her voice was emotionless when she spoke. Orion opened his eyes and looked at her, she was still sitting in front of the gravestone her head towards the ground. “Since right after the war. He sent me an owl a few weeks before the battle telling me to keep it from you if he died.” She said nothing as she stood up slowly. Orion now noticed the familiar black fog underneath her feet and the temperature around them seemed to sink. “Artemis, I didn’t want to keep it a secret from you. Believe me.” She walked slowly towards him the fog underneath her feet was slowly spreading across the ground. When their eyes met Orion jumped backwards in slight fear. Her eyes were solid gold, but not from anger. There was a sorrow behind the eyes that seemed never ending. The woman came closer to him and grabbed his throat. Though the witch was considerably shorter than him, her strength seemed to have doubled with the sorrow that flowed through her. “You should be glad I can’t kill you. Because the one thing I would like to see right now is you dropping dead before me.” She let go of him and started to walk towards the Forbidden Forest. Orion staggered while he coughed and watched her go. “Artemis! Wait!” The witch turned around quickly and shouted at him sending the fog hurling towards him making him fall to the ground. It was like having hundreds of icicles piercing him, leaving him momentarily unable to move. “Leave me alone!” The woman disappeared into the Forest and Orion was left alone in the cemetery. He cursed at himself slightly as he stood up on shaking legs. Whatever he did now would not help, so he turned to go back towards the castle hoping that she would calm down enough that she would return on her own.

Artemis walked in a trance through the Forest. When she was a little girl she had been terrified of the place but the Potion Master had said that nothing in there was as scary as her. Which she now believed to be true as all the creatures in the Forest ran away the second they saw her coming. It had been a long time since she felt this power run through her veins and right now she could not care anymore. Without her knowing, the one person she had looked at as family had passed away and on top of it all asked someone to keep it a secret from her. Tears started to stream down her face as she walked and the fog seemed to spread even further. Frost was spreading along the ground and freezing smaller plants in the process. A clearing came to view in front of her and she sat down in the middle. The Forest was quiet around her, it was like it knew that she was in deep sorrow. The woman had never cried like this before in her life and it scared her. The only light of hope she had of coming here had now been blown away in the wind. So on top of all the bad memories from her school years, she now had to see the memories of Snape walking around the castle. She could still remember his daily routine like it was yesterday. The memories of him came flooding back. The way he would drink tea with her before going to breakfast, the way he would apologise if he would come back late, how annoyed he had been when she had ended up in detention, the worried look he had when he was healing her wounds after she had been in a fight and so many more. Artemis was having trouble breathing now as the sobbing got worse. Suddenly the raven on her chest started to burn and she let out a scream of pain. She had felt it warning her when she had grabbed Orion’s throat earlier but this was different. It was ordering her now to calm herself. The brunette realised that since she had closed the bond Orion had now resorted to ordering the brand directly.

In the realisation, she looked around and what once was autumn had now turned to winter. The ground was white with frost and the trees around her had lost their leaves from the cold. Even so the Forest was still deadly quiet like it was allowing her this. Artemis looked up to the sky and gasped. A cluster of stars met her eyes and she realised now why Orion had desperately tried to reach her. Somehow she had been sitting here the entire day. The branding was still burning on her chest and she clutched it. Still with tears in her eyes she stood up from the ground the muscles in her legs were sore from her sitting on them for so long. She took a deep breath and called the fog back to her and the frost around her slowly melted as she started to walk back towards the castle. She followed where she could feel Orion’s position like a compass pointing north and soon stepped out of the Forbidden Forest. When she looked back she could see a mirage of different creatures eyes looking at her from the dark. The woman paid them no mind as she walked away from them and once again remember Snape’s words. ‘There is nothing in that forest that is scarier than you.’ 

Her stomach growled loudly on her way up the slope and she realised she hadn’t eaten anything other than breakfast that morning. This suddenly made her think of Snape’s house elf. If he had not made her a free elf before the war Mips was probably still working in the kitchen. Tears filled her eyes again as she willed herself to Apparate directly inside the kitchen. A couple of elves were scared stiff when she suddenly showed up with a crack. “Is there an elf called Mips here?” Before the poor house elves could say anything the familiar voice of Mips could be heard across the kitchen. “Misses!! It is you!!” Artemis looked in the direction of the voice as Mips came running towards her. The house elf looked older of course but it was still clearly her, the big blue eyes filling over with tears as she hugged the witch tightly. Artemis dropped down on the floor and hugged the elf in return. “I’m so sorry Mips, had I known I would have come and taken you home with me.” The elf hugged her even tighter. “Mips doesn’t blame Misses for anything. Master was an evil man for not wanting to tell Misses of his death. But he did love Misses very much! He told Mips so!” Artemis started to sob again when she heard the words. Since it was Mips telling this she had no choice but to believe it. Mips was a house elf that would never lie even when ordered. Mips pulled away from the witch after she had calmed down slightly. Mips snapped her fingers making Artemis’s tears dry from her face. “Now Misses you haven’t eaten have you? That is bad for your health! Come come Mips will prepare your favourites.” The elf started to pull at Artemis’s uniform sleeves in the same fashion she did years ago. The witch did not protest as she got up and was dragged to the back of the kitchen to were they kept the tables. To her surprise, someone was already sitting there.

Draco Malfoy was nursing a cup of something hot between his hands and looked up with confusion when Mips dragged Artemis into a chair. He tilted his head at her. “Auror Blackmoore?” Artemis looked at the boy in front of her. He looked at her curiously and with what seemed to be relief. “Misses sit here! Mips will be right back. Does Missters need anything?” She pointed at Artemis strictly then looked at Draco politely. The boy shook his head at her and she ran over to one of the stoves to start preparing some food. He turned is attention to Artemis again. ”You came after all. You were not among the other Aurors who were introduced during breakfast so I thought you weren’t coming.” The Auror had to fight back tears as she cleared her voice. “Something came up so I had to stay behind. The Headmistress probably didn’t know this at the time.” She showed him a smile but she could immediately see that he was not buying it. “Are you alright Auror Blackmoore? Pardon me for saying but you look like you’ve been crying.” Zacharias had been right that the boy was indeed intelligent, that was for sure. She was unsure what to answer when her brand started to burn again and she clutched her chest in pain. Draco looked at her in alarm. “Miss, do you need help somehow?” She waved her hand at him. “No no, I’m fine.” She took a deep breath, damn that Orion for being persistent. She made her left hand into a fist, blew into it and when she opened it a blue butterfly was resting in her palm. “Orion, I am fine. So stop please. I’ll be back soon.” The butterfly flew out of her palm and out of the kitchen. Draco looked at it go in awe. “Was that a Patronus?” Artemis looked at the blond before her and took a mental note that he probably could not produce a Patronus of his own. “Yes. It was. I would be in your debt if you could do me a favour of not telling anyone that I did that without a wand.” He nodded in understanding. Artemis took a few deep breaths as she felt the burning stop, the Patronus must have reached Orion then and she could relax a little. 

“I will keep it a secret if you tell me what’s wrong.” Artemis raised her eyebrows at him. Surprisingly bold this boy for being a Slytherin. “If you tell me why you wanted me here.” Two could play that game. Grey eyes met hers as he thought hard but in the end, nodded. “You were the only one who treated me like a person and not like a dirty Death Eater before my trial. You helped me greatly even if you didn’t have to. I know that it was your job don’t misunderstand me. But other Aurors before you had treated me with disgust and refused to hear me out. So when the Headmistress came to me and said that she was going to get some Aurors to protect me, I gave her your name.” Artemis frowned, she would have to figure out what Aurors had done the job before her and give the note to Robards later. The blond look at her patiently, he was waiting for her part of the deal. She sighed while she had to force back tears again. “I found out today that Severus Snape died during the battle. It was kept a secret from me. The man meant a lot to me.” He had been honest with her, so she figured that she had to give him the same honesty. Draco looked at her with surprise and his eyes soften somewhat. “I’m sorry.” They sat in silence until Mips showed up with a plate of food and placed it in front of Artemis. “Misses! Eat eat! You can’t protect Missters if you die from hunger!” Artemis looked at Mips curiously then looked over to Draco. “Told her, hm?” The boy blushed softly and nodded. “She is… was Severus’s house elf. So I come down here from time to time to talk to her. She got really happy when I told her you were coming here. Now I know why.” Artemis nodded in understanding. It made sense that the boy would be telling the house elf things that he could no longer tell the former potion master. Mips looked at her with worry in her eyes as Artemis could feel tears started to fall again. “Misses…” Artemis waved at her while she took a deep breath and dried her tears. “I’m fine, don’t worry Mips. Don’t you have to help the others with preparations for tomorrow?” The elf nodded and started to walk back to the others while peeking at her over her shoulder. Artemis looked down at her plate and forced herself to eat something. She could feel Draco’s stare at her while she ate but the boy said nothing. The brunette thanked Merlin that the blond seemed to understand when to keep quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. First Night

Draco was studying the woman before him as discreetly as he could manage. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her lips were a light shade of blue like she had been outside for hours. He frowned slightly as he wondered where she had really been this last day as it wasn’t really that cold outside just yet. What made him even more curious was why his godfather’s death had been kept a secret from the woman for so long. The blond looked over at the house elves who were working non-stop at the preparations for tomorrow’s breakfast. Some of them were singing happily, others were stealing curious looks at the two humans invading their space. These days Draco found it peaceful to be in here as the elves never minded that he was there, some even talked to him and asked him questions about what was going on upstairs. Curious bunch, these elves. He looked at the female Auror as she got up from her chair smiling tiredly at him. “Well, Mr Malfoy it’s getting late. I should follow you back to the Slytherin dorm then find my colleagues.” Draco could tell the woman was about to collapse in front of him. “It’s alright Auror Blackmoore, you seem tired. I can go back on my own.” He stood up from his own chair and jumped a little at the strict look the woman was giving him. “Sorry, Mr Malfoy but I am here to protect you after all so come on. Follow me please.” He watched the brunette walk with a straight back towards the kitchen exit only to be stopped halfway by Mips. “Misses! You will return right?” Auror Blackmoore got down on her knees and patted the elf’s head reassuringly. “Yes, Mips. I’ll be here for as long as Mr Malfoy needs me. After that, I am taking you with me to London. Alright?” The tiny body of the elf could almost not contain her happiness as she started to dance around the Auror. Suddenly the creature turned and pointed a finger at Draco. “Missters! You better thank Misses properly for her help!” The blonde blinked dumbly at the elf for a second before he nodded seriously. The elf seemed happy about his answer as she danced back to her station in the kitchen. He looked up at Auror Blackmoore confused. “I have never met an elf that is so bossy before. She acts like a strict mother.” The Auror started to laugh quietly. “There is a story behind why that is. But not something worth telling tonight. Come now.” They left the kitchen in silence and started the journey down to the dungeons. 

Now that Draco was close enough he looked at her uniform more closely. From what he could remember she was a Senior Auror and her uniform should be a deep scarlet not the deep green that it was. Now that he thought about it all of the Aurors who had been introduced today wore the same coloured uniforms as she did. His curiosity got the better of him in the end. “Aren’t you a Senior Auror? Why isn’t your uniform scarlet?” She answered after a short while without looking at him. “I hate that colour.” Somehow she had put so much malice in that one sentence that Draco did not dare ask any more about it. As Draco was taking a left to go down the stairs towards the dungeons the Auror continued straight ahead. Puzzled he called out to her. “Auror Blackmoore! The stairs down to the dungeons are over here.” She turned around with a mischievous smirk. “Yes, but the shortcut is over here.” She pointed to a statue of a knight a little way down the hall. The Auror stood in front of the knight and said with a clear voice. “Stand easy.” Draco watched as the knight seemed to relax and move slightly out of the way uncovering a little hallway that the blond had never seen before. He quickly followed the woman inside and soon found out that there was a hidden staircase behind the knight going straight down. Lit torches were hanging on the walls evenly spread out to not make it too dark. When they reached the bottom a narrow corridor continued to the left. Auror Blackmoore walked confidently the entire time, it seemed like she knew this secret passage very well. Suddenly she came to a stop at what seemed like a dead end. “Tap this stone with your wand four times would you?” Draco looked at the woman a little saddened. “I’m sorry Auror Blackmoore but I don’t have a wand on me. I am not allowed to have one outside of class.” She looked at him with annoyance. “Ah right, I’ll see if I can do something about that. Well then.” She tapped the stone she had pointed at earlier with her index finger four times and the stones immediately started to fold themselves into the wall, not unlike the entrance to Diagon Alley did. Draco’s jaw dropped when he saw where they had ended up. They were standing inside the Slytherin common room. It being just past one o’clock in the morning meant that there were no students lingering in the common room. The blond turned to look to where the exit was and turns out that it was right next to their fireplace. “I never thought there would be a secret entrance to the common room.” he said in awe while looking at the Auror. She grinned mischievously at him again. “There is one into all of the four Houses. Only to be used at emergencies of course but these days most of the staff probably don’t know about them anymore. Or the castle has moved the entrances to them around so they can’t find them. This one still seemed to be in the right place though.” She mumbled something he didn’t hear as she stepped out into the room. “Aah, how nostalgic. It looks just the same as it did back when I went to school here.” Draco looked at her with raised eyebrows. “You were a Slytherin?” The woman let out a harsh laugh. “Oh no. I was a Gryffindor. Sadly. Well, where is your room hm?” Draco studied her openly now. Who would be sad to a Gryffindor? It was the most respected houses these days and usually brought you success. He shook his head and pointed up the stairs towards the boys’ bedrooms. “I have the last room in the boys’ hallway. The ‘eight’ years got our own rooms since there weren’t many of us returning. That goes for the other houses too.” She nodded at him while smiling. “Well then, goodnight Mr Malfoy. I’ll see you in the morning.” Before Draco got to say anything else she went back into the small corridor they had just come out of and watched fascinated as the stones melted together again. It seemed like there was no door there at all now, no wonder he had never noticed it before. He was tempted to sit down on the sofa next to the fireplace but decided against it. It was probably better for him to try and get some sleep. 

Draco stepped into his room and relaxed when it looked the same as it had been that morning. It looked just like the usual boys’ living quarters except there was only one bed and a desk to the side. There had been a few incidents with people coming in and trashing his room in hopes of finding some dark artefact or some other nonsense. He had asked Blaise if he could put up some wards for him since he didn’t have his own wand. Thankfully it seemed that it had worked. While he stepped into the bathroom to brush his teeth he was reminded that this was probably something Auror Blackmoore would want to know. She could probably put up some heavy wards that could keep people out and maybe notify her if someone other than him was in here. He had to ask her about that in the morning. He felt his pride sting when he thought about asking for help on such a small matter but not having a wand made things difficult. These days he had to sit inside the Headmistress’s office just to do his Transfiguration homework all while being watched by the woman like he was going to run away any second. He hated it. No matter what he did these days people were watching him, expecting him to mess up and end up in Azkaban. Surprisingly Potter had gotten fairly polite with him over the past weeks and they could now even hold a somewhat civil conversation with each other. Thanks to Potter’s nice way of treating him the rest of the Gryffindors had started to do the same. Weasley and him had even played a few rounds of chess in the Great Hall after dinner and Granger wasn’t so bad either. Of course, he had to apologise to all of them first, but that was a small price to pay for something that might be a token of friendship. Draco did have Blaise and Pansy here as well, but having someone outside of the Slytherin house being nice to him was a good thing. He drank a few glasses of water before washing his face and changing into his pyjamas. He looked at himself in the mirror and was not surprised to see the dark circles under his eyes. His skin seemed transparent in the eerie light from the bathroom ceiling. Draco grunted in disgust at himself as he went over to the bed and laid down. He studied the roof of his bed in the dark and wondered if Auror Blackmoore had found her way to her new office. Then again the woman knew about the secret entrance to the Slytherin common room, so he didn’t see a reason for her not to find it. He vaguely remember the Headmistress saying that the Aurors would replace the Prefects in doing nightly rounds already starting tonight. So she might have met one of her colleagues in the hallways. Draco yawned suddenly and drew the blankets over him. Hopefully, it would be a peaceful sleep.

Artemis was walking towards the worried signal Orion was sending out through the bond. She had opened it again after she had left the Slytherin common room and regretted it almost immediately. The worried and sad emotions that came over her almost made her throw up. She leaned heavily against the wall for a second to regain her breath. She had not made up her mind yet on how to confront her friends on the matter that had happened earlier today. Anger and sorrow were still flowing through her veins like a tsunami but seeing Draco had somewhat calmed her enough to get her back to her senses. The boy was clearly not sleeping much if the dark circles under his eyes were anything to go by. The mission she had in front of her seemed clearer now, protect the boy and find a way to give him access to his wand outside of the classroom. Suddenly she heard a familiar song coming from down the hallway and sure enough, Peeves came flying around the corner. The ghost stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. After a little while, he carefully approached her. “Little Demon? Is that really you?” She huffed at him. “When will you stop calling me little? You are shorter than me you know. Stupid ghost.” Peeves face split into a huge grin and he started to laugh loudly and spin around in the air. “Little Demon! It is you! My fellow mischief maker is back, oh how I’ve missed you! The students these last few years have been such a bore! None interesting what so ever. Well, Potter has done some fun things from time to time but not as much as we did back in the day!” Artemis started to tune out the ghost’s babbling, she should have seen this coming. Of course, the ghost would be happy to see her seeing she had started talking to him without fear when she went to school. Mostly because of the fact that she was much scarier than him, and he knew it. Which gave her an idea. “Peeves!” The ghost stopped talking mid sentence. “Yes, Little Demon?” Artemis looked at him with a grin. “I have a job for you.” The ghost looked at her in interest. “What do you say to spy on a student for me?” The ghost grinned even wider if that was even possible. “Oooooooh, and who might the unlucky one be?” Artemis smirked at him, of course, he took the bait. “Draco Malfoy.” Peeves floated quietly in the air for a second before bursting out in a mad laugh. “That snivelling blonde whelp?! But of course, Peeves will do this for the Little Demon! With pleasure!” He hung upside down ask he continued. “But _why?”._ Artemis rolled her eyes at the ghost and crossed her arms. “Now now Peeves. That is something you don’t have to know. You only need to report to me if something happens to the boy. Mostly at night of course, I will be following him during the day.” Peeves eyed her suspiciously but didn’t question any more. He bowed deeply at her and grinned again. “As you wish my Little Demon.” Artemis rolled her eyes again. She waved at him as she continued to go towards the direction the bond was taking her.

Orion was pacing back and forth inside their office on the third floor. It was ironically hidden behind one of the paintings of the founders of Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin. It had been made to look like the one they had in the Ministry. Except all of their offices had merged together so all five of them were now sharing. His own desk was placed in the middle of the room with his familiar potion shelves behind him. On his left were Artemis and Cyril’s desks, both having the shelves of books and other stuff behind them. On his right were Septimus and Zacharias’s desks. Behind Septimus’s desk were heaps of papers stacked in neatly piles, apparently, that was how he kept track of everything. Behind Zacharias desk, there were a few training dummies to shoot some test hexes at and a big chest that was meant to practise curse breaking on. One placed a curse on it and someone else had to figure out what it was. The office had a fireplace included which as promised had a direct line to the Ministry, Cyril had tested this immediately when entering the room earlier that day. In between Artemis and Cyril’s bookcases, there was a door that led into their shared living space. It looked much like how their old dorms looked with one bed for each of them, but two bathrooms instead of one. Probably so that Artemis could get her own bathroom. Orion had wondered why the woman hadn’t gotten a bedroom of her own but the beds all had curtains that could be closed so he supposed it wasn’t the biggest problem. Besides the castle worked in mysterious ways and it probably knew that the female would accept this. Zacharias threw a ball of paper at him. “Can you stop pacing mate?! It’s driving me mad! You heard her Patronus, she is fine!” Septimus placed his feet on his desk. “Zacharias is right King. Calm down. She sent that Patronus to us only forty-five minutes ago, knowing her she is trying to make herself as calm as possible before coming up here. She did try to kill you earlier remember?” Orion looked at Septimus and nodded. After leaving Artemis to the Forest he had made his way up to the castle and told them all quickly what had happened before they entered the Great Hall to be introduced to the students. McGonagall had looked at them in polite annoyance when Orion had whispered to her that Artemis was running late. After breakfast, they had all been shown into the said office and left to get their belongings sorted for the rest of the day. 

After dinner was done and Artemis still hadn’t shown up Orion was about to set out into the Forbidden Forest to find her but had been stopped by his friends. They all argued that she could have wandered too deep for him to safely reach and that the creatures in the Forest would probably swallow him whole if he tried to approach them. In the end, he had stayed put in the castle, but seeing his connection with her was closed he had no idea about what she was doing or what state she was in. But a nagging feeling that would not let go of him made him use something he would never forgive himself for using. He had awoken the brand mark on her chest. Orion knew that it would hurt her greatly, but if this meant that he got her back again he had to take the chance. He had been at it for hours when the familiar butterfly Patronus had flown through the wall and given them the message in her voice. _“Orion,_ _I am fine. So stop please. I’ll be back soon.”_ He had never felt so much relief from hearing her voice and had stopped the brand from burning immediately. He started pacing again as it had now been almost an hour since the message arrived. The clock was closing in on two in the morning and all the men were feeling sleep slowly catching up to them. Suddenly the portrait opened up and in walked Artemis. She scanned the office casually before looking at Orion. He swallowed thickly as he looked back at her. Anger was easily seen on the surface of her eyes. Zacharias jumped out from his chair and walked up to the woman. “Artemis! Thank Merlin you are alright. Where did you go?” She ignored his question and kept a hold of Orion’s eyes and simply asked. “How long did you all know?” Orion could feel the chill running down his spine and bet that the other men in the room felt the same. Septimus was the first to find his voice. “I was the first one that found out about his death. Orion was the only one in your office that day when I went to tell you. Orion told me about Snape’s last request and made me swear not to say anything. I sent a letter to Cyril and Zacharias and told them about the situation. But believe me, Artemis when I say that we didn’t want to follow his wishes of keeping it a secret from you.” He looked down at his desk when he was finished. The man looked like he wanted to disappear in shame under all his papers that were thrown all over his desk. Zacharias patted her on the back softly. “We wanted King to tell you sooner, but it was never the right time to. I am sorry too.” Cyril had also stood up from where he had been sitting on his desk and walked over to her. He positioned himself between Orion and Artemis, blocking her from looking at the blond man. She looked up at him with a blank stare. “We are all deeply sorry Prince. Whatever we can do to make it up to you we will do.” Orion felt a wave of sorrow pass over him as he watched Cyril grab Artemis into a hug. He could hear her sobbing from where he stood but he could not make his feet move. The pair in front of him slowly sank to the floor as she could not keep herself on her feet anymore. Zacharias started to stroke her back soothingly while mumbling calming words to her. Septimus came over to him and stood next to him. “It seems that you are the losing one in this battle King. Probably wise to leave her alone for a while. Don’t worry, she will come around.” The shorter man patted him on the shoulder and all he could do was hope that he was right.

Artemis woke up with a shock and looked straight into the dead eyes of Peeves. Had the man not already been dead she probably would have killed him. The ghost was making her blanket thrash about her body in weird ways making that the reason for her rude awakening. “Peeves! What is the meaning of this.” Peeves put his finger in front of his lips quieting her down and stopping the blankets at the same time. She frowned and did a quick Tempus. 04:05 am. Great. She had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep and sighed. After she had calmed down from crying earlier Cyril was the one that put her to bed. Orion had kept a close eye on them the entire time and she had stubbornly ignored him while the feeling on jealousy and worry waved over her. Cyril had been unusually attentive to her for some reason. If she were to guess the man had probably been the most against not telling her their secret from the start and was feeling guilty. Suddenly she realised that reason Peeves must have rudely awoken her. “Malfoy?” The ghost nodded and whispered, which she didn’t even know the ghost could do with his usually loud demeanour. “He seems sick, Little Demon. Been throwing up for a while now.” Artemis muttered a curse and quickly got out of bed. She stood silently listening for any signs of any of the other men being awake. Septimus was the first to take the night shift so he was out of bed as planned. Zacharias was snoring loudly from behind his curtains forgetting to Silencio them. Her partner was a quiet sleeper most of the time but thanks to the bond she could tell that he was asleep. Cyril’s curtains were slightly open and she could see that he was faced away from her, but he had not stirred from Peeves showing up. When she was convinced they all were sleeping she grabbed her uniform cloak that was thrown at the top of her trunk and quietly sneaked into the office. Hurriedly she went over to Orion’s potion shelf and picked out a few potions she thought would come in handy. Ignoring Peeves as he floated around the room looking and poking at different things she Apparated straight into Draco’s room. It took a second for her to get used to the dark and get a feeling for the room. His bed was a mess and both the pillow and blanket was on the floor like it had been pulled off in a hurry. From what she could tell there was no sign of anyone else in the room but her. Then she heard it, a clear retching sound coming from what had to be the bathroom. She walked quickly towards the door and muttered a Lumos. The sight that met her shouldn’t have surprised her, but it still did. It was not the first time she had seen it, the war victims reacted in different ways. A nightmare probably followed by nausea if she had to guess in this case. The boy was sitting on his knees hugging the toilet bowl tightly and looked incredibly tired like he had been at it for hours already. Good thing she had made the deal with Peeves she thought.

She carefully made her way over to him. “Mr Malfoy? It’s Auror Blackmoore.” The boy did not react at all and continued to retch into the toilet in front of him. If the smell was anything to go by his stomach was empty at this point and it was mostly bile left. She touched his back softly and that seemed to snap him out of it. He quickly backed away from her, looking like a scared animal. Fear was clear in his eyes as he looked at her and started to hyperventilate. She put her hands up quickly. “Draco! It’s me. Artemis Blackmoore. I’m here to help you.” She kept her hands up as she lowered herself on the floor all the while keeping eye contact with the blond. Slowly he started to breathe normally and his eyes showed that he recognised her. She smiled at him and took one of the potions out of her pocket. “This is a anti-nausea potion, it’ll make you feel better. It’s made by Auror Silver, he is a Potion Master.” She took off the cork of the bottle and held it up in front of his face. He looked at the bottle with scepticism, which she understood but she did not waver and kept her arm outstretched. After a few minutes, he took the bottle and downed the content. The boy closed his eyes as the potion took its effect and some colour returned to his cheeks again. Artemis let out a sigh of relief. “Alright Draco, I’m going to help you up, alright?” The boy nodded slowly and Artemis reached for his hand. When the male took it she pulled him up to a standing position. He swayed dangerously and she took a hold of his waist to keep him steady. His nightshirt was sticky with sweat and from the smell, he had probably gotten sick on himself before making it to the bathroom. “Okay, over to the bed we go.” She managed to guide him carefully over to the edge of the bed. He looked up at her with tired eyes. “Auror Blackmoore, how did you get in here?” His voice was scratchy and raw, evidence of all the abuse his throat had gotten by the throwing up he had done. She only smiled at him. “Magic, of course.” He frowned at her. “Never mind that, where are your spare clothes? You need to get out of those dirty ones.” The blond had no energy to argue as he pointed to his trunk stowed next to his desk. Artemis walked over to it and pulled it open, rummaging around for a little while before she found another pair of pyjamas. She turned around and went back to the blond on the bed. He was watching her intently. Artemis stopped in front of the boy. “Time to get those clothes off hm?” Before he said anything she reached for the top button on his shirt but was surprised by his hand slapping hers away. Draco backed away from her like he had been burned. “Who… who gave you the right to touch me like that!?” Artemis raised her eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “Very well. You take it off yourself then.” She studied him as his shaking hands tried to undo the buttons on his shirt. Eventually, he gave up and looked at her in defeat. Suddenly she remembered something she had read in his file before she had been given the job to take care of him before his trial. “You’re afraid I’ll see your Sectumsepra scar right?” The blond’s eyes widened comically. “Sorry to tell you but I already know all that. It was done by Potter in your sixth year. He used it without knowing what it did. Snape saved you just after it had happened.” Draco just kept staring at her with wide eyes as she sighed. “So can I help you now?” He nodded slowly and moved himself to the edge of the bed again. With swift fingers she unbuttoned his shirt, the boy had indeed been lucky as the scar was only a thin line stretching over his torso. Snape being able to heal him so fast made it close up neatly. She could still remember the first time Snape had healed her and how ugly she thought the scars looked. Now she knew better. “I’ve never experienced so much pain before. I thought I was going to die.” She hummed at him as she removed the shirt from his shoulders and threw it on the floor. The woman pointed at his pants and while blushing slightly he got them over his hips and down to his ankles. She did the same procedure and threw them over by the dirty shirt. “Sit still.” The boy froze like a statue as she pointed her finger at him, with a slight flick of her wrist a cleaning charm washed over him. Draco looked at her in wonder, then a glint passed over his eyes. “Don’t tell anyone about that either?” She smiled at him while she nodded. Artemis handed him his clean clothes and watched him dress, again helping with the buttons on his shirt. 

“Mips!” The house elf immediately showed up, like she had been waiting the entire time for her name to be called. “Missus called?” Artemis smiled at the elf. “Yes, could you take Mr Malfoy’s clothes and bed sheets and wash them, please? A quick scrub of the bathroom too please.” The elf nodded enthusiastically and did as she was told. For a few minutes, the elf darted from place to place inside the room, only stopping when Artemis helped Draco up from the bed long enough for her to change the bedsheets. When she was finished she did a deep bow to both of them. “Mips will wash the clothes by tomorrow night Missters!” Draco looked at the elf with a thankful expression. “Thank you, Mips.” Mips looked between them both and gave them both a proud smile and disappeared with a pop. Artemis sighed heavily and looked at Draco. “You seem back to yourself again. How you feeling?” “Much better thanks to you Auror Blackmoore.” Artemis looked at him annoyed. “Artemis, you can call me Artemis when it’s just the two of us.” The blond blushed slightly but nodded. Then he looked at her curiously. “Pardon me asking, but you never said anything to me pointing out the pain from the curse. Most people can’t imagine how it is and start questioning me about it. Have you experienced it?” She poked him in his chest, seeing he was not prepared for it he fell backwards on the bed in surprise. “Aren’t you a rude one? Get into bed already.” He stared at her for a second before doing as told. Once settled he open his mouth again, but before he could say anything Artemis cut in. “Yes. Yes, I have experienced it first hand. Count yourself lucky that it was only once.” For a minute the Auror thought the boy’s eyes were going to pop out of their sockets as he stared at her in shock. She got out another potion she had taken with her and handed it to him. “A dreamless sleep.” He took it without protest, still in shock from what he had been told. “B… but you have no scars” He stared at her again and she remembered that she was just wearing a simple nightgown herself. She was so used to putting glamours on to hide the scars that she had done it without thinking when she got up. She looked at him while thinking hard. Was it wise to show him? Then again she knew everything about the boy. She had just seen him at his most vulnerable, so maybe this was a way to build more trust with him for the future. In the end, she sighed. “Don’t believe everything you see, Draco.” She snapped her fingers and let the glamour drop. “It might not be the truth.”


	4. Scars

Draco had never seen so many scars on one person before and stared fascinated as they came into view one by one as the Glamour vanished. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to her from his position on the bed. Some scars had to come from being careless on missions he reasoned but others were clearly older than the rest. Then he saw them, scars similar to that of his own. One stretched from her shoulder to over her chest, he could see a hint of a second starting between her breasts and continuing down. A third and fourth were over her shins, when he looked closer it could seem that had been from the same spell and her legs had been close together when it happened. His eyes widened even more when he realised that he could only see her front. Her back could be even worse. He kept looking her up and down before he frowned while looking at her chest. What seemed like a circle could be seen from underneath her nightgown. She must have noticed him looking at that spot for a long time trying to figure out what it was and she casually pulled down the gown a little. Draco leaned more forward to get a closer look, the Auror did not move and he took it as an okay to do so. A circle with a raven inside was placed directly over her heart, there was no curse that Draco knew of that left that kind of scar and it made him to curious. “What is that?” he didn’t know why he had whispered but it seemed right to do. The brunette looked at him for a while then down to the raven again. “The one scar I can never hide.” It made him even more curious to receive that type of answer but he understood that it was something she might not want to talk about in detail. The woman deserved her privacy he thought as he nodded at her. “I understand.” He spoke louder this time but still softly as if he would scare her away if he was too loud. She smiled softly at him in return. “No, you don’t. But you don’t have to Draco.” She looked at him with a slightly stricter look on her face then. “So do you see now? I won’t give you pity for one scar.” Draco didn’t know what to answer to that so he simply nodded as a response. He really did have no right to receive pity now that he had seen all of her scars. A gruesome thought entered his mind as he looked at her worriedly. “Did your parents do that to you?”. Right as the question had fallen off his lips he regretted it. He had made the same mistake with Potter earlier when they had talked about their childhood. He had completely misunderstood how The Saviour had grown up and it had ended in a big fight. To his surprise, the woman let out a harsh laugh. She looked directly into his eyes while she answered. “ As I told you earlier. I was sadly a Gryffindor. Now it is getting late and we both need to get some sleep.” She pulled her uniform cloak closer around her as she went towards the door. As she touched the door handle she looked at him from over her shoulder. “Take that potion I gave you alright? I’ll see you at breakfast. Good night, Draco.” All the boy could do was stare at the door after she left. The woman always seemed to leave him with more questions than answers. He turned to study the potion vial in his hands and open it. It was expertly made, that much he could tell. He downed the potion and got himself comfortable. Soon he felt sleep overtake him. 

Artemis hadn’t been this tired in a long time and didn’t even have the energy to Apparate back to her bed. She regretted Apparating straight there when she realised that she wasn’t even wearing shoes and her feet would become ice blocks by the time she reached the third floor, Heating charms only did so much. The woman stopped to look out to the grounds when she reached the Entrance Hall. It was the same thick fog as the morning before, covering the landscape like a thick blanket. Birds had started to sing from a tree somewhere and it had to be closer to six o’clock at this point. She sighed again when this was probably going to be an even longer day than the previous one. So much had happened in the last 24 hours that she could almost not wrap her head around it. Artemis did not stop the tears from falling again as she started to think about Snape and by now the man would be having his first morning tea in his living room. Probably grading some homework with that annoying look on his face when it was a bad student’s essay. Mumbling to himself that at least he had taught Artemis correctly from the beginning. A laugh escaped her. It all had seemed so normal back then, so trivial. “Artemis?” The Auror jumped slightly and looked behind her only to relax when she saw who it was. “Oh, Septimus. Done with your rounds?” The man nodded with a slight worrying look on his face. He looked her up and down. “What are you doing here dressed like that? You must be freezing.” She laughed a little as she tried to be as discreet as possible while drying her tears away. “Aren’t I always? There was a situation with the Malfoy kid I had to deal with. I just came up from the dungeons.” The man was nice enough to not comment on her tears. Artemis had always thought that from between the four boys Septimus was the least Slytherin of them all. He was simply too nice in some situations. He chose instead to nod in understanding. Then his eyes widened. “Artemis, your scars are showing!” Artemis looked at him surprised and had to look down on herself and sure enough, the man before her was right. She mumbled the Glamour spell and watched as the scars slowly vanished. Septimus had plain worry on his face now. “What happened down there for you to forget to cover them up? Is Malfoy alright?” She bit her lip but nodded. “He is fine, nightmares and vomiting…” She took a long pause as he crossed his arms waiting for her to continue. “…and I showed him the scars.” Septimus muttered something incoherent as he took a step back. “You showed him? Just like that?!” She nodded. “Yes! He freaked out about the Sectumsempra scar that he has and I just told him that he was lucky he only has one. One thing led to another…” Septimus pointed to his own heart. “That means?” Artemis nodded again. “I did not tell him what it was. Please don’t mention this for Orion. You know that he will probably try and Obliviate the boy and I need him to trust me if this is going to work.” Septimus sighed then nodded in understanding. “Fine. I won’t tell. Let’s go back to the office before you freeze to death.” She grinned at him and linked their arms together while they started their walk back. 

When they got back to their office the others were already up. Cyril was nose deep in a book. Zacharias was nursing a cup of coffee like it was the most precious thing in the world and Orion was leaning over a cauldron brewing a potion. However, when the pair entered the room Orion hopped out of his chair and went up to Artemis. He put his hands on her shoulders carefully. “Where were you?” She frowned at him and shrugged off his hands. “In the castle, you know that already.” A wave of sadness came over her as he backed away but he said nothing. “Malfoy was having nightmares and vomiting so she was in the dungeons helping him. It is her job you know.” Septimus crossed his arms while he talked looking cross at Orion. “According to Blaise the boy has trouble sleeping and eating these days.” Zacharias said from over his coffee cup. “Can you blame him? He is a war victim after all.” Cyril added still not looking up from the book. Artemis sighed loudly at all of them and went towards the bedroom. “I’m taking a warm shower then we better get to breakfast yeah?” Now actually looking at her Cyril’s eyes widened. “Did you go out just dressed like that? Aren’t you freezing to death?” She rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, therefor the warm shower part.” Not saying anything else she went into their bedroom and closed the door behind her. Again she sighed loudly into the room. The thing she wanted now was just to be alone with her thoughts. Her feet made a soft patting sound as she went over to her trunk and brought out a spare uniform and went towards her bathroom. It was just like any ordinary bathroom in the castle and for right now she was thankful for it. Artemis turned on the valve to as hot as she could take it and stripped out of her clothes. By habit she dropped the Glamour charm, she had always felt that she never became clean unless she dropped it. This also made her look at herself in the mirror and remember who she was and how she became _her_. The raven looked at her with its usual cold demeanour but somehow there was a hint of sorrow to it. Maybe the raven itself was feeling guilty about burning her. Artemis touched it carefully while the water ran down her body warming her up. She could feel the edges of it clearly as she traced them. It felt smooth to the touch compared to the other scars that decorated her body. 

Artemis rested her head on the wall just standing still and enjoying the silence in the room. She was desperate for sleep but knew that she had to be present at breakfast. The young Malfoy came to mind again and how fascinated he had looked when she showed him the scars. Despite herself she smiled at the thought. The boy had not looked at them in fear or worry as many before him. Most of the time she hid them even in front of her friends, because all the looks are full of worry or pity. There was a soft knock on the door, the brunette knew immediately that it was not Orion. He was pacing the office if the nagging feeling of the bond was any indication. Closing her eyes she tried to focus on the magical core on the other side of the door and frowned. It was hard trying to detect magic when she was this tired, even the demon within was staying calm having lost the will to stay awake. It was either Cyril or Septimus, Zacharias’s magic was too static compared to them. Theirs were calmer, if she were to take a guess it had to be Cyril. When they were in the same room she could tell the difference but apart it was more difficult. “Yes? Cyril?” A hum came from the other side, so she had been right. “Can I come in?” Artemis stared at the door from where she stood under the water. It was just a glass wall between her and the door. He would be seeing everything if he entered. But then again it was not often Cyril intruded in this way and it made her too curious. “Alright”. Cyril entered quietly but swiftly, quickly shutting the door so the cold air would not be let in. Their eyes locked together as Cyril stood in front of the door and for a quick second his eyes wandered before the wizard sat down on the toilet seat, looking down on the floor. Artemis started to shampoo her hair while she studied the man, he seemed nervous in a way but she waited patiently for the man to say something. The smell of lemons filled the room. It should have been an awkward situation, but for some reason she felt comfortable. “I wanted to say sorry.” Cyril was still looking down at the floor when he spoke. “While cornering me in the shower?” It was meant with humour and luckily he chuckled. “When I got that owl from Septimus stating that we were to keep Snape’s death a secret I protested immediately. I thought Orion was an idiot to follow that wish. What would come out of it I thought. It went so far that he did not trust me with leaving you alone with me. In the end, he forced me to take a Unbreakable Vow to keep me quiet. So believe me Artemis when I say I will do anything you ask of me to make up for it.” Artemis turned to look at him, he was still looking down at the floor. She rinsed out the shampoo from her hair in silence and turned off the water when she was done. A towel was laying on a shelf next to her and she wrapped it around herself before softly walking over to were Cyril sat.

Her hair was dripping water down on his shoes as she sat down on the floor and took his right hand in hers. Tiny scars from the Unbreakable Vow could be seen and anger shot through her. How could Orion stoop to that level? “I wish it was me you know.” Artemis looked up at him in confusion. “What?” Cyril smiled at her melancholically while pointing to her chest. “I wish it was a chameleon instead of a raven.” Her eyes widened in surprise from what he had just said. A short laugh escaped him and he smiled at her again. “I hoped when we went to Hogsmeade back then that somehow you would react to me in the same way as Orion, no such luck I’m afraid.” Artemis stood up slowly, swaying slightly on the spot. She was quickly steadied by Cyril standing up and grabbing her shoulders. When there was no sign of her falling over he took a hold of her hand and went down on one knee in front of her. “Therefore I will pledge myself to protect you however I can. No matter what.” Artemis looked dumbfounded at him, a blush started to spread on her cheeks as the words sunk in. He laughed at the look on her face as he stood up. “ The first thing I am going to do is taking your shift of watching Malfoy until lunch. You need the sleep. No use protecting someone if you pass out in your breakfast, hm?” All Artemis could do was nod, going to sleep now was too tempting of an idea that she could not refuse. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain to Malfoy. See you at lunch.” He smiled mischievously while looking her up and down before kissing her cheek then walking casually out of the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. A few seconds passed as she just stood there, mind blank. Then a few emotions seemed to blend into one in a tsunami. Confusion. Anger. Envy. Sorrow. Guilt. Cyril must have said something to Orion as he went back into the office. All Artemis could do was laugh at the situation as she changed into a new nightgown and brushed her teeth quickly. Carefully she opened the bathroom door into the bedroom, thankfully it was empty and she went over to her bed. She felt around for Orion and he was on his way to what was most likely the Great Hall as he was moving away from her. A bed had never felt better than at this moment. She closed the curtains while putting a few wards around the bed just to be sure. It only took a second from her head to hit the pillow to she could feel her eyes closing. She hoped that it would be a peaceful sleep. 

Orion looked up from his cauldron with a frown when Cyril came out of the bedroom. “What were you doing in there so long? Where is Artemis?” Cyril looked at him with a dark look in his eyes. “Saying something that should have been said years ago and I sent her to bed obviously. She is exhausted from everything that happened and needs sleep. You should have known this. Just because she is mad at you there is no reason for you to act this petty.” Orion looked at him in shock at what he just heard. The shock quickly turned to anger. “What are you trying to say Thompson?” As a response the other man simply looked at him in disapproval and went out the painting to the office. Orion stood still for a second getting his emotions under control. He groaned loudly and kicked Cyril’s desk on the way out of the office. When he entered the Great Hall the familiar sounds and smells washed over him. It was like being back at school again. He quickly scanned the tables and looked at Zacharias and Septimus with a raised eyebrow. Both Aurors were sitting at the Slytherin table surrounded by students. Orion recognised Zacharias’s younger brother Blaise among them. He looked over at the teachers’ table and saw Cyril sitting next to Professor Slughorn, they both seemed to be deep into a conversation about something. He debated sitting with the Slytherins but changed his mind when he saw the look on the Headmistress’s face. Orion sighed and walked up to the teachers’ table and sat down in the vacant seat next to the older woman. “Good morning Auror Silver. How was the first night in your new living quarters?” A plate of waffles appeared before him with a cup of coffee on the side. He took a quick sip of the cup before answering. “It was fine, Ma’m. I’m sorry for the absence of Auror Blackmoore but she was in dire need of sleep.” The older woman looked at him courtly and nodded. “I see. I hope she has not forgotten the reason she is here?” Orion shook his head. “No, Ma’m. Things were just a bit hectic yesterday.” As if called Cyril came up behind them and smiled politely at the Headmistress. “I apologise, Headmistress, that we did not inform you earlier but I will take care of Mr Malfoy until lunch today. Auror Blackmoore will then be back on duty.” She nodded at him again politely. Orion had to look away from Cyril to keep himself from punching the other man in the face. ‘I am not being petty. I’m simply keeping my distance for her sake.’ Orion thought to himself. But the thought about what the other man had said to Artemis was making him on edge. He reasoned that it had to be something about the events that had happened during the past day but something kept telling him in the back of his head that it might not be that easy. Hopefully, Artemis would be talking to him before the day was over. He looked over at the Slytherin table curiously when a boom of laughter could be heard across the hall. 

Draco had not smiled and laughed this much in a long while. Auror Zabini and Auror Zouch had sat down with them by the Slytherin table and were sharing stories from their time as Auror Trainees. Blaise had sunken further and further under the table while Zacharias had shared stories of when he had come home from missions and his younger brother had been worried for him. “No I swear to all of you this boy here was so cute where he stood in the staircase back in the manor all worried for his big brother.” Auror Zabini grabbed Blaise’s shoulders and pulled him up on the bench again. “Aww you shy little brother? It’s a sign of love you know! You love me! Admit it!” Auror Zabini used a sing-song tone at the end not unlike the one Peeves used. The younger Zabini tried to get away from the older one desperately but to no avail. “Let go of me moron! Why don’t you eat up where the teachers are?!” Blaise was desperately looking to Draco for help, the blonde just grinned at him. “Come on Blaise, we want to hear more stories of you being a lovable little brother. Right?” He looked around the table while smirking at the others. Pansy Parkinson laughed loudly clutching her stomach, tears were forming in her eyes from laughter. “Yes Auror Zabini, please continue!” Auror Zabini grinned widely at them all. “Well I have to oblige now that the Lady asked! I remember this one time when it was really late in the night when I came home. A huge storm had just hit England at it was simply disastrous outside. I swear to Merlin I was soaked into my underwear.” The dark man winked at the girls around the table, getting a hit behind his head from Auror Zouch. “Manners Zabini!” Auror Zabini just grinned at the other Auror before he continued. “So I walked up to my bedroom right, dripping water everywhere. The poor house elf was walking behind me with a mop I think and guess what I find in my bed when I go in?” Pansy held her hand up in the air enthusiastically. “You found Blaise right?” She smirked at Blaise who had started to sink under the table again. Draco laughed at his friend, it was rare to see Blaise this flushed about something. “Bingo!” Auror Zabini shouted loudly and started to laugh again. The table burst into laughter making the other tables looking over at them in surprise. This was a rare occurrence from the Slytherin table after all, it was more expected from the Gryffindors. 

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table with a surprised look when the table burst out in laughter. “What is going on over there?” Ron on his left said between bites of toast. Hermione scowled at the redhead in disgust. “Ronald please don’t talk with food in your mouth.” Ron just rolled his eyes at her as she turned in her seat to get a better look at the Slytherin table behind her. “Seems like they are having a fun morning at least.” Harry leaned a little to the right to get a better look at the scene before him. He saw that even Malfoy was laughing along at what was happening. He had to agree with Hermione that it did look like for once the Slytherins seemed to be having a good morning. “Even Draco looks like he is having fun. Good for him.” Harry looked at Luna on his right with a raised eyebrow. “When were you first names with Malfoy?” The blond girl looked at him with her usual big eyes. “Since he apologised to me. Besides it is his name Harry. You should try, he actually likes it when people use his name you know.” The girl looked at him with a look that was hard to say no to so he simply nodded. Luna seemed to accept this as an answer and continued. “Seems like he has gotten some sleep too, good for him. Oh, I have to remember to ask him about what hair potion he uses, his hair is always so pretty. My father is indeed in need of some products like that. His hair always knots itself when he is taking care of the plants in the garden. Do you know what that is like Harry?” Harry looked at the girl confused but smiled at her in the end. It was not surprising for Luna to talk about these types of topics so it did not surprise him anymore. “Can’t say I do, no.” He laughed at the look she gave him while Ron poked him on the shoulder. “Wasn’t there supposed to be a female Auror that was gonna babysit Malfoy?” Harry looked over to where Malfoy now stood in front of one of the Aurors, he was looking worried. The two Aurors that had been sitting at the table were leaving the Great Hall waving back at the students cheerfully. “Isn’t that one Auror that is leaving Zabini’s older brother?” Harry looked at his friends curiously. Hermione nodded. “Yes, and apparently they were a big deal back when they went to school. They ruled the Slytherin house apparently.” Ron looked over at his girlfriend with a sceptic look. “How do you know that ‘mione?” The girl just rolled her eyes at him. “Parkinson told me. They were known as the Royal Court and their leader was Auror Silver. The one sitting next to Headmistress McGonagall.” Harry looked over at the man sitting next to McGonagall in wonder. Their eyes met for a second and it felt like the ice blue eyes could read his mind so he quickly looked away. Ron was looking up at him as well. “He certainly looks like a Slytherin that is for sure. So they are all previous Slytherins? Even the woman?” Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know, Parkinson only mentioned the four men.” The girl looked at the watch she had on her arm then. “We are going to be late for class! Hurry!” Harry watched his friend hurriedly pick up her book bag and bolt for the door. He looked over to Ron who slowly picked up his own bag and shook his head. “Some things never changes mate” Harry laughed at him as they followed their other friends out of the Great Hall. 

Draco turned around when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder, he was surprised to look it was Auror Thompson. He calmed down his laughter enough to give a greeting. “Good morning, Auror Thompson.” The Auror smiled at him. “Good morning, Mr Malfoy. I am the one that will be watching you until lunch today.” Draco turned completely around on the bench now and stood up in front of Auror Thompson. “Is Auror Blackmoore okay?” Auror Thompson patted his shoulder calmly. “She is fine. I just made her get some sleep until lunch. So I will be your shadow until then.” Draco studied him for a minute with a frown but nodded in the end. The man smiled kindly at him then turned to the other Aurors at the table. “Gentlemen it’s time for work, hm?” The two Aurors grinned at the students at the table, got up and said their goodbyes. “Goodbye, my sweet darling little brother!” The Slytherins burst into laughter again as Blaise now hid completely under the table while shouting curses in his older brother’s direction. Draco watched as the two Aurors disappeared out of the Great Hall and snickered at Blaise under the table. “Come on Blaise it wasn’t that bad was it?” “Shut up! I hate him!” Draco laughed again at his friend under the table while he picked up his book bag. This morning was starting surprisingly well for the Slytherin. He didn’t get the chance to get much sleep but the Dreamless Sleep potion he had gotten from Auror Blackmoore had made him feel refreshed when he woke up. He had to remember to ask Auror Silver what he used in it later if he got the chance. Thanks to Auror Zabini’s antics at the table he had also momentarily forgotten the bad things that had happened over the past year and he had finally managed to eat an entire plate of pancakes. Pansy hooked their arms together as they used to do back in the day while he walked out of the Great Hall. He smiled at her, a real smile that he hadn’t been able to do in a long time. The girl smiled even wider back at him and giggled. Draco suddenly remember Auror Thompson was supposed to follow him and stopped a little down the hall and looked around confused. He could not spot the man anywhere. Frowning slightly he was about to call out for him when a voice was heard right next to his left ear. “Don’t worry Mr Malfoy, I’ll be right by you even if you can’t see me. That is my domain after all.” Draco jumped slightly when the Auror spoke but relaxed again. Pansy looked at him confused for a second but he shook his head as if to say it was nothing. He started to drag the girl after him towards the dungeons to get to potion class. 

Artemis woke up with a start and sat up in bed breathing heavily. She could not remember what she had just dreamt about but it was not pleasant. Casting a quick Tempus she saw that it was almost the end of lunch. If she wanted to eat something before the next class she had to hurry. Artemis climbed out of bed and went over to her trunk to pull out a uniform. It was weird to be back in school but wearing a different uniform this time. It made her feel more powerful now, she could walk among the students and get looks of respect and not fear. She walked softly to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get dressed. While she stood there her mind floated to what Cyril had told her earlier in the morning. Unconsciously she touched her brand mark and blushed slightly. _“I_ _wish it was a c_ _h_ _amel_ _e_ _on instead of a raven.”_ The brunette wondered how it would have been if Cyril was the one she was branded to and not Orion. Things would probably be a lot different she thought. Shrugging she started to comb her hair, it was a mess from the night before. She cursed that she had gone to bed with wet hair as it was now standing up in all sorts of weird angles. Frowning when the brushing did not help she flicked her wrist and the hair started to lay back down to it’s normal position. Satisfied she quickly changed into the uniform and hurried out of the living quarters. Orion, Septimus and Zacharias were all seated at their desks working. Zacharias looked up from a box that he was fiddling with as she walked in. “Good morning sleeping beauty!” Artemis rolled her eyes as she walked out of the office, blatantly ignoring Orion’s attempt at talking to her. Just to make the feeling of guilt stop waving over her she cut the connection to Orion for now. It made her breathe a little easier for the time being. She used the shortcuts that she found were still in the same place to get down to the Great Hall faster and entered when several students passed her out the door. Doing a quick scan she saw Malfoy sitting at the Slytherin table surrounded by his friends. Artemis did not spot Cyril anywhere but figured the man was not far away. The witch was right when she felt someone touch her lower back softly. “Everything has been quiet so far Auror Blackmoore. You look better now. Hurry and get something to eat, the Headmistress announced that the 8th years are having their first class of Defence after lunch. Seems like she finally found a Professor to take the class.” Artemis looked over her shoulder and saw Cyril smiling at her softly. “Thank you, I owe you one.” He laughed and shook his head. “Absolutely not, I’ll be returning to the office then.” He winked as he walked out of the Hall. When she turned to look over at the Slytherin table all of them were looking in their direction. She rolled her eyes, they were still the same curious snakes it seemed. 

Artemis smiled when she got closer to the table and motioned for permission to sit next to Malfoy. He moved slightly aside for her so she could sit down as a plate showed up before her with some simple ham sandwiches and coffee. “Sorry for not joining you as planned for breakfast Mr Malfoy but I am sure Auror Thompson explained everything?” Malfoy nodded at her with a slight look on worry in his eyes. “Are you alright?” She nodded at him with a reassuring smile, then her attention was turned towards Parkinson as she gasped and pointed at her. “Wow, you have the most beautiful hair miss! What do you do with it?” Artemis blinked at the younger woman for a second before laughing. “I’m sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Artemis Blackmoore and I don’t do anything special with my hair Miss Parkinson.” The girl looked at her in surprise as she called her by name. “How do you know my name Auror Blackmoore?” Artemis grinned at them all knowingly. “It’s my job, I know everything about all of you. But don’t worry, I never snitch. All your secrets are safe with me.” She could not contain her laughter when she saw the horrified looks around the table but she quickly turned serious again. “No, really. I have files of all of you seeing you are Mr Malfoy’s friends. It’s my job to know everything concerning him after all. But again, I won’t be using this information against you or tell anyone about it. I am a professional after all.” Parkinson looked at her suspiciously with good reason, most of these kids had not gotten a good first impression of how the Aurors operated the last year. Artemis held the eye contact until Parkinson looked satisfied. “Alright! I believe you at least, besides we got some funny stories from Auror Zabini earlier today. That was hilarious, wasn’t it Draco?” Malfoy grinned at the girl and nodded. Artemis sat there silently and ate her lunch while the students talked around her about what had happened at breakfast. Soon the Great Hall was emptying for real now and they all got up to go to their first Defence class of the year. Artemis noted that all of the 8th years were having the class together no matter the house they were in. Which made sense seeing as they were not that many of them. 

They all stood outside the Defence classroom with butterflies in their stomach. From what Artemis gathered the Professor was a woman, and some of the boys were already developing a crush. She had to try and not roll her eyes at them and wondered if all of the male students were like this when she was their age. Finally the door to the classroom opened and the students were let in by someone from the inside calling them. Malfoy looked back at Artemis and she smiled at him motioning him to go in front of her, making the Auror the last person to enter. The Professor was standing with her back to them when they entered, the woman was writing her name on the blackboard in front of her. Artemis froze and felt a wave of nausea overcome her. _Vanessa Burns._ The witch turned around then with a big smile on her face that quickly turned sour when she saw Artemis. Their eyes met and on instinct Artemis took the wand she had in her robe and pointed it at the other woman. “What are you doing here?” The students looked between the two women confused. Burns sour look turned into the sickly sweet smile that Artemis knew to well from school. “My my! Blackmoore! What a surprise seeing you here dear! I am the new Defence Professor, didn’t you hear? On that note I must say that it is quite rude to point your wand at me, honey.” Artemis hand was shaking so much she could barely keep her wand steady. All she wanted to do was get out of the classroom, but she could not leave Malfoy behind. But then again he had his wand now that he was in class, she made a quick decision as she felt the door behind her. The brunette slowly lowered her wand feeling that it had grown lighter and put up a professional smile. “Oh my, Burns! I must apologise you looked so much alike a Death Eater we are hunting, my lack of sleep must have made me more on edge than I thought. Mr Malfoy, I will return after the class is over, but if you need my assistance please don’t hesitate to try and contact me. That goes for all of you.” She met Burns eyes again and nodded courtly before quickly leaving the classroom. Once outside she started to breathe heavily and the nausea was more dominant than ever. Artemis leaned on the wall to catch her breath and tried to think about the next step. She needed more help to protect the boy now, who knows what intentions Burns had for returning here. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. The wand came into her mind as she took a hold of it again, it was definitely lighter than it had been earlier which meant that she needed a new crystal in it. Her eyes widened when she got an idea, she needed Eminence’s help. If someone knew how to protect oneself without a wand it was her.

Artemis quickly Apparated straight into the office, making all the men inside the room jump in surprise. “God dang it, woman!” Zacharias yelled at her while looking down on the ink he had spilled on himself. Septimus looked at her with wide eyes. “Did you just Apparate inside the castle?” Artemis ignored both of them and looked at Cyril seriously. “I need you to look after Malfoy until I come back. I need to go to London.” Cyril looked at her with concern while Orion shouted at her. “What happened?! Why in Merlin’s name are you leaving? and why are you closing me out?” Artemis looked at her bonded partner with a dark look. “Burns is here. Because the guilt you are sending through the bond is making me sick.” She quickly took some floo powder from on top of the fireplace and threw some in. “Ministry of Magic!” As soon as the flames turned green she passed through the flames and found herself in the Atrium. Not even bothering to look around she Apparated straight outside of Eminence’s shop in Knockturn Alley. She took a moment to steady her breathing and was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened.


	5. Life of a Loftwind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter that Emelie and I wrote at the same time, she is writing Eminence's perspective while I am filling in the rest. So if you are wondering why the writing style is a little different in this one that is the reason.

Orion looked at the fireplace in silent shock after Artemis had disappeared through it. The other men in the room said nothing, it was as if the room itself was holding its breath. He let out a groan of frustration. “What in the world is wrong with that woman!?” Very unlike Orion he hit his own desk in frustration. “Hold on for a moment. Did Artemis just say that ‘Burns is here’?” Septimus said from his desk with a frown on his face. “Did she mean Vanessa Burns? The Gryffindor that was one of her bullies back in the day?” Everyone looked at him in alarm. “She would not have reacted like that if it was not her. No way she would be lying.” Zacharias said while taking out his wand to spell the ink on his shirt away. “She did say that she was coming back though. All we gotta do is wait I suppose.” He continued after his shirt was clean again. Orion looked at them all in frustration. “How can all of you be so calm about this? She just left!” The other three looked at Orion like he had just said the name of you-know-who out loud. Cyril looked at him with an angry expression. “I’m sorry Silver, but do you not trust her at all? You have been bonded with the woman for over ten years. So either go after her or stay put and wait.” Orion looked at him and was tempted to reach for his wand but left it in its holster. “Fine. But I will go and keep an eye on Malfoy and find out if it really is Burns. You stay here.” The two men looked at each other in challenge for a minute. Cyril sat down in his seat again in the end and Orion took that as a win. “Send me a Patronus the second she is back again.” The blond told Septimus, the other man simply nodded. After giving Cyril another angry look he went out of the office door and started his walk towards the Defence classroom.

Eminence awoke to the sunlight shining through the window over her bed. She groggily sat up, and reached over to her nightstand for her dream diary to note down what she had just dreamt. The diary was half full, and already quite tattered from several years of use by a sleepy woman. Satisfied that the dream was properly kept, she stumbled out of bed, out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, not really waking up until she already had two toasted sandwiches in her hands and heard the kettle boiling. She set her breakfast on a plate on her small dining table, but as she stepped over to the counter to make herself a nice cup of tea she was taken aback slightly. She had set out two cups this morning. This was of course not the first time, and knowing what this means she approached her cupboard and simply let her hands do what they already knew to, retrieving chamomile leaves for herself, and ginseng for her yet-to-be-known visitor.

“Ginseng? Hmm… Artemis? Or no, maybe Lucia…” she wondered out loud. She knew at least that she wouldn’t have to wonder for long, so simply brewed the tea and sat down to eat. As she finished the last few bites of her morning meal and started tidying up, she felt an impulse to head over to her front door and opened it, much to Artemis’s surprise who nearly fell forward as she knocked on thin air. “Are you not going to let me knock any more? You did that last time too!” she exclaimed. “Oh deary, you look practically unstable! Come in, sit down!” replied Eminence, ushering her friend inside and across the workshop floor to the kitchen. “I hope you had breakfast, I had already put away most for my own. Your tea is ready.” she announced, pushing the already brewed cup towards her guest. “It’s ginseng, I know you appreciated that last. Tried to guess who it was for, didn’t get it right. It was a simple coin toss too!” she admitted freely. “Th—Thank you. I’ve already had _lunch_!” The short brunette looked at her friend quizzically before continuing. “The wand’s broken again, and I have to be back as soon as possible.” She paused to consider if she had the time and nerves for pleasantries before adding: “Someone else in the world likes ginseng?” “Oh. I suppose it might be late, I haven’t looked outside. Sunrise comes later every day now. And I keep telling you it’s not broken, just empty. I thought it might be Lucia, do you know her?” Artemis set down her cup for a moment. “I think I remember her. A Ravenclaw right? Short jet black hair? At least back then.” Eminence nodded, and reached for the cup with an open hand, asking if the brunette was finished. Seeing no protest, she scooped it up and headed over to the sink. “Let’s see to that wand then. I’m running quite low on pure crystals, so I’m not sure I can make certain it lasts very long this time.” Heading into her workshop, Eminence started sorting through the piles of papers, vials and assorted components that were strewn across one of the desks, whistling all the while, while Artemis took the opportunity to look around the room as she usually did. Across about a third of the floor was a presumably unfinished glyph drawing; some parts chalked into the floor, some parts drawn on paper laid on top, all of it entirely indecipherable to her eyes. There were three desks along one side of the room, one completely cleared, one with stationery and the one Eminence was currently ravaging looking for… something. The opposite wall featured benches along the entire length, with alchemy supplies and tools all over. In the corner nearest her laid what looked at first like some sort of bird’s nest, but with a formation of familiar looking crystals poking out. The far wall featured the door she had just entered, and large windows facing the street with display cases in front showcasing neatly arranged samples of her wares.

“There we are!” exclaimed the tall blonde suddenly, triumphantly displaying what she had finally found. Which was… her wand!? “ I know you're a muggleborn and all but how do you keep losing it? You really should be keeping it nearby when you sleep.” uttered an astonished Artemis. “Oh I usually do, it’s been an awfully inconvenient morning. Nothing I’m not used to considering I grew up without all this, but you know. Accio!” holding the wand limply in her right hand, Eminence stretched out her left hand toward the bedroom. Suddenly sensing danger, the short brunette dodged out of the way as a small circular device came flying out of the bedroom toward the witch’s hand. “Oh, sorry! I usually set this to work before anyone arrives, I almost hit you in the head because of routine!” She set down the machine on the floor, pressed a button on its top and watched as it started darting around the floor, notably avoiding the rune scribbles. “You know, it takes quite some figuring out to make a Roomba avoid magical inscriptions.” Artemis, having gathered her senses after almost being bludgeoned by muggle tech, scowled at her blonde friend. Until this moment she had never had the thought that those without magic might ever be a serious threat to her. “Really sorry. Can I have your wand please? I’ll get right to replacing that core for you.” “You’re lucky you are difficult to be mad at.” Artemis muttered in response, handing off her defective wand. Knowing not to challenge that utterance, Eminence moved to the empty desk nearest the door and set her guest’s wand aside. She started drawing glyphs across the surface of the desk with her fingers, whistling meanwhile.

“What is that? It’s the same one.” asked Artemis. “What? Oh, I didn’t realise. I’ve had this song in my head all morning, it’s—” she suddenly froze for two _very_ long seconds. “Oh. Subtle. It’s called Demon’s Kiss. Thanks brain, couldn’t pick a cornier way to try to tell me huh.” Artemis groaned and shook her head. Within a minute the glyph was finished, and Eminence picked up the wand and held it above its centre. The drawings activated with a dim sheen, and the wand disassembled itself into some fifteen separate pieces, all floating around in the air above the table surface. In the middle of it all, an orange and grey speckled crystal which the woman retrieved, being careful not to bump into anything else. “Your magic is so beautiful, I love the patterns on these. It’s a shame I haven’t been able to find any way to actually activate them without your hands. I know you’re a unique source for them, but they _do_ contain magic of their own…” She continued talking as she retrieved a smaller sized crystal piece from the messy desk across the room, but this one a brilliant sky blue. She carefully held it in the same place where she had removed the other, waited a moment, and let go as soon as the glyph below pulsed slightly. The gem remained suspended, and moments later the wand reassembled itself around it. “As usual, you pick how you pay. You mentioned you need to hurry back, but I don’t feel right letting you go in the state you’re in. It’s been some time, let’s chat.” she noted as she handed back the wand. “I must look pretty messed up for _you_ to insist. Gold, by the way.” Artemis says, trading the wand in Eminence’s hand for coin. “No, that’s not too much.” “I thought I was the clairvoyant one.” the blonde witch quipped. “That just means you predict the unpredictable. Everything else is fair game.” she retorts with a wry smile. “And actually, _we_ need to hurry back afterwards. I’m hiring you.” “Really now?” Eminence crumpled where she stood, now sitting cross-legged on the floor, her piercing green eyes looking up at the shorter woman pleading her to follow suit. Artemis knew she could just walk over to the kitchen and pull up a chair, but decided to humour her friend and sat down as well.

“So, what even is your assignment? What should I do?” Eminence opened. “I got named dropped to guard a eighth year student, he apparently wanted me personally. Not weird that he wanted protection because of all the unfortunate choices he did last year, of course, but the kicker is that he is not allowed to use his wand outside of classes so he is defenceless on his own. So he is free torture material for the other students. Seeing as you’re the resident expert on doing things without a wand, you can help with that.” Artemis explained sounding slightly annoyed. “Oh, seems right up my alley. Who pays?” the alchemist replies curtly. “This is a line-of-duty Auror expense, so costs go directly to HQ.” Artemis replies with a mischievous grin. “Oh you _know_ I can’t turn down an opportunity to bill your office! …And to help. Of course. Count me in.” With the business part of the conversation finishing, Eminence adopted a much softer tone. “Do you want me to let you knock if I know?” Eminence queried. “I’m not actually upset,” Artemis answered reassuringly. “just be sure it’s me. You live in Knockturn after all.” She made no secret of her Auror training being at the forefront right now. “Most of the regulars around here don’t bother me, but I do know to be careful. I knew today I would be in good company.” Artemis smiled and nodded, seeming satisfied with the response. “How’s work going for you?” she asked, both out of curiosity and because her host’s eyes still showed clearly that she was yet to be given permission to excuse herself. “Quite good, recently I’ve found a pretty substantial way to speed up making second order glyphs, shaving off up to 15 minutes. It’s also something that can be prepared, so that’s more I can bring with and not have to redraw on the spot. The shop hasn’t been too shabby either, haven’t fallen behind projections at all lately.” Eminence explained, gesticulating cheerfully. Feeling the piercing gaze finally letting her go, Artemis smiled and stood up. “That’s good. I will be going ahead now, be there by supper at the absolute latest. Use one of the floo connections in the Atrium, say ‘Hogwarts, Aurors’ Office’ it will take you directly inside. She headed towards the door, and on the way out turned to Eminence again. “Thanks for tying me down for a moment.” “Any time. That’s a manageable timeline, I’ll be right over. …It’s lunchtime now right?” Artemis closed the door behind her without responding and Apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

When Auror Blackmoore had left the classroom in such a hurry Draco had looked at their new Professor with suspicion. He had not believed her excuse of mistaking her for a Death Eater, the Auror was a professional after all. He gripped his wand tighter in his hand while looking over at Potter on the other side of the classroom. The raven head’s eyes met his and it seemed they were both on the same wavelength. Potter was also gripping his wand tightly already expecting trouble. The blond looked forward again when the Professor cleared her throat. “Well well, that was unexpected! I assume she is the Auror that is watching you Mr Malfoy?” By the sweet way she was speaking Draco was reminded of Umbridge and it made him feel sick. He nodded politely. Professor Burns just clapped her hands excitedly. “How fun! She and I went to school together you see! We were both Gryffindors. Now, I am forgetting my manners. Nice to meet all of you, I am Vanessa Burns and I will be your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor this year. Hope we can all get along.” Everyone greeted her politely. Draco studied her while she started talking something about shielding spells and how they could be used. It was all things they already knew. The woman had long blond hair that curled at the ends and they bobbed up and down as she moved. Her eyes were a piercing green. The Professor mentioning that both her and Auror Blackmoore had been in Gryffindor made him even more sure that this woman had something to do with the female Auror’s past. Draco’s eyes widened when he remember all of the brunette’s scars, could this woman have something to do with it? His attention was brought back to the Professor clapping her hands again. “Alright! Seeing as this is our first class together why don’t you all split into pairs and have a little play duel between yourself. I will be taking notes so no slacking off!” She smiled sweetly at them again. Draco seeing his chance immediately got out of his seat and looked over at Potter’s direction. “Potter!” The raven head looked at him confused for a second then saying something to Weasley next to him before coming over. “Partners Malfoy?” The blond nodded. “No one else here is good enough for you but me anyway.” Potter snorted at the joke but had to nod in agreement. He motioned to go further into the classroom a little away from the rest and Draco followed. As they stood face to face ready to start a duel both the boys looked over at the Professor, she was busy showing directions to Longbottom at the other end of the classroom. “Something is not right with that woman.” Draco said venomously. Potter to his surprise nodded in agreement. “I agree. Why would a professional Auror raise their wand at a person like that? It makes no sense.” Draco agreed with Potter, it was weird. “Maybe you should inform the other Aurors about it? Zabini’s older brother is one of them right?” The blond looked at Potter while shaking his head. “Why would they believe me, it would be better if it came from you. They have to listen to The Saviour after all.” Potter made a sour face at the mention of the nickname and turned around to start their duel. They had walked the distance needed, bowed and readied their stance when a squeal could be heard from their Professor. Both boys looked in confusion to the door were Auror Silver now stood with a similar surprised face as Auror Blackmoore had done earlier. “Oh. My. Goodness! King is that really you?! Of course it is you! You haven’t aged a day, still as handsome as you were back then. Do you remember me? It’s Vanessa Burns!” Draco was confused by the nickname on the man for a second before he remembered what Blaise had told him about his older brother and his friends being a big deal back when they went to school. Auror Silver had been King of Slytherin back then. The male Auror looked extremely uncomfortable as the woman came closer to him. So they did know each other Draco reasoned. He looked over at Potter again, and the raven head walked back towards him. “Well that saved me the trouble of telling him I guess.” Potter crossed his arms as he watched the scene in front of him. All the other students in the classroom had now stopped what they were doing and were watching the two adults talk. 

Auror Silver smiled the most Slytherin smile Draco had ever seen, it reminded him of his own father and how he had smiled at his business partners before extorting them for money behind their backs. “Yes, of course, I remember you Miss Burns, ah Professor Burns now I suppose. Thank you for the compliment, you haven’t aged a day as well. Must be though keeping such a beautiful appearance day after day.” To Draco it sounded more like an insult than a compliment but the woman ate it up either way by the way she squealed in delight. Potter snorted again next to him. “Sounds like something you could say.” Draco rolled his eyes. The Professor hit the male Auror playfully on the shoulder. “Oh, you! Always the charmer, your wife must be having trouble keeping you under control with that silver tongue of yours.” Her voice was now even more sweet sounding, how that was even possible was beyond Draco. Auror Silver laughed a short courtly laugh, this time reminding Draco about his mother during business dinners where other people’s husbands would flirt with her. The blond now realised a little the reason why he had been called King of Slytherin. “No wife I’m afraid. Ah, but I am distracting you from your class Professor Burns. You should get back to it and don’t mind me, I’ll just be in the back keeping watch.” He smiled that same smile at her again and the Professor seemed to swoon again, then realising where she was and turning back to the class. Clapping again she smiled sweetly to the class. “Terrible sorry everyone, carry on now!” Draco’s eyes met Auror Silver’s for a second and the Auror nodded at him in approval. Draco nodded back and turned his attention to Potter. The other boy was still studying the Professor with suspicious green eyes. “Does she remind you of Umbridge? That sweet voice is disgusting.” Draco looked at the raven head in surprise and clicked his tongue. “My my, language Potter. But yes I have to agree with you. It is disgusting.” Both of them looked at each other with smirks on their faces. Draco felt a little safer now that Auror Silver was there to keep an eye on the class and put his focus back on the task at hand. It was better to keep up appearance for now he reasoned. 

When Artemis was back in the Atrium she decided to go down the 8th floor to visit Robards. If she was lucky he would be in a good mood and hear her out on extending Malfoy’s wand use to outside of class. Not wanting to deal with Jessica at the entrance desk she put up a Disillusionment charm over herself and went past quietly. Safe in the elevator she let out a sigh of relief. Now that she had gotten Eminence to come to Hogwarts at least she would have a backup plan if things turned sour for the young wizard. She only needed to make sure that it was kept a secret that Eminence had even been there and done her thing. The elevator stopped with a soft ‘ding’ at the eight floor and when Artemis stepped out it was exactly the same amount of chaos as when they had left two days ago. Multiple Aurors stopped to look at her as she walked in a direct path over to the Head Auror’s office. She stopped to knock on the door but did not wait for an answer and opened the door loudly. The Head Auror looked up from his papers with a sour look on his face but upon seeing who it was it turned into surprise. “Auror Blackmoore! Getting into trouble already?” For once she decided to sit down in one of the soft chairs in front of her boss, which made his eyebrows raise in confusion. He put his papers aside and put the focus solely on her. “Sir, I know I am asking a lot but please hear me out on this.” She looked up and met his eyes, he nodded in approval for her to continue. “Mr Malfoy is a sitting duck in that place. I can’t possibly be with him 24/7. Already now during these two days I have failed the mission on multiple occasions making Auror Thompson take my place. The boy needs his wand, Sir. This way at least I know that he can call for help at least if something were to happen if I am not around.” Robards sat there just looking at her for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke up. “I see. Do you have evidence that he will need his wand? If anything happens with him in possessions of a wand you will be held responsible, say he hexes a fellow students out of spite instead of self defence.” Artemis had to bite her lip, she had no direct evidence of Burns being a treat to anyone other than maybe herself. But this also meant that Malfoy could become a target automatically. Then again the brunette wasn’t even sure if Burns would do anything at all to anyone. “No sir, I don’t have any evidence. But I have a bad feeling in my gut that I can’t ignore.” The Head Auror let out a loud sigh, before pulling open one of the drawers in his desk and taking out a stack of papers. He took a minute to look through them before giving them to Artemis. She looked at them confused for a second before she started to register what it was. It was Malfoy’s reports on his behaviour after his trial, so far he had excellent marks on all accords. Not even losing house points once so far. “If you can make him fill in a report every week I can start the progress of getting him his wand back full time. He still needs to be on his best behaviour of course but it’s a start. In addition, he will have to be under Veritaserum while writing it and you need to be present and I can't stress this enough Auror Blackmoore if anything happens _you_ will be held responsible.” Artemis nodded in understanding while standing up. “Thank you, Sir. I will take my leave, sorry for just barging in.” As she turned to leave the man stopped her. “Auror Blackmoore?” Artemis turned again towards the man with her eyebrow raised in question. “For your own sake, I do hope this gut feeling of yours is wrong, for once.” Without saying anything else he turned his attention back to his work, the woman looked at him for a second before leaving the office, softly shutting the door behind her.

With the papers safely tucked in her robe she started the march towards the elevator again, the room parting like the red sea while she walked. Once again she could relax a little in the safety of the little box, the soft music coming from the speakers was soothing her more than it really should. The first thing she had to do when she got back was take Malfoy aside and explain the situation to him. Artemis debated if she should just tell the blond straight up who Burns was, but it might not be worth worrying the boy unnecessarily. She would just have to stay as professional as she could around the other woman. Hopefully, by now the other Aurors had discovered that it really was her and were keeping an eye on her. Artemis went out the same way she had come in, throwing the charm over herself to slip by the security check and went straight over to the floo system. Grabbing some floo powder she threw some in while saying calmly. “Hogwarts, Aurors’ office.” Only Cyril was in the office when she came out of the floo and she looked at him surprised. “I thought you were going to look after Malfoy?” The man shrugged. “Silver insisted on doing it. Welcome back.” Artemis raised her eyebrow at the use of the blond’s last name. “Silver now is he? What happened?” Artemis walked over to her own desk chair and sat down heavily, letting out a groan of relief. She could see Cyril looking at her from the corner of her eye with a dark look. “He is being an idiot. Can I have your permission to hex him?” She laughed at him. “You don’t need my permission to do that. Where is everyone anyway?” Cyril frowned but in the end shrugged. “Zabini and Septimus are walking their rounds, Silver is watching Malfoy. I was waiting for you to come back.” He turned his whole body towards her now giving her a look that could see through one’s soul. “What happened in that classroom? Tell me.” It was Artemis’s look that turned dark this time. “I won’t if you take that tone to me, Thompson. Don’t mistake me for a criminal you are about to interrogate.” Before either of them could say anything else the painting to the office opened and Orion walked in, Malfoy trailing behind him. Artemis shot out of her chair faster than she thought was possible. “What happened?!” Orion looked at her in surprise but shook his head. “Nothing happened. I brought him back here since he insisted on knowing if you were alright. When did you get back?” She relaxed slightly and looked to the young blond. “Everything alright Auror Blackmoore?” The younger blond looked at her with pure worry in his eyes. To get this to work smoothly she needed Orion to be on her side so she opened the bond again. From the look of the man she could tell that he felt more at ease now that he could tell more clearly what she was feeling, the guilt was still there but it was slowly replaced by understanding. They would have to talk about everything that happened over the course of the last few days but now was not the time and they both knew it. 

Artemis turned her attention back to Draco. “I’m fine, Mr Malfoy. Head Auror Robards send me an important letter, come here please.” The female Auror patted her chair for him to sit on, he looked confused for a second before he did as he was told. When he had sat down she showed him the papers. “These are the reports the Ministry have done of your behaviour after the trial was done. You have been abiding every rule so far, not even lost any house points. If you come here and fill out a report like this with me every week from now on, under the influence of a Veritaserum, I might manage to get your wand back to you for full time use.” As she spoke she pointed to the different sections of the report, the Ministry wanted to know everything the boy had done in the course of a week. When he did his homework, times he went back to the common room for the night, who he spent the most time with, his sleeping patterns and so much more. The brunette could tell that he was staring at the “Incident” section of the document and she tapped her nail on it. “This is preferred if it stayed empty. But as long as you do something in self-defence it will not count towards your behaviour score. I am also the one responsible for you, your guardian more or less. Seeing as your mother is in France and your father is in Azkaban this is the easiest way to do it. Do you understand Mr Malfoy?”. The boy sat there quietly, staring at the document in front of him. He touched the part where her name was written next to the word ‘Guardian’ carefully like it would turn to ash if he was too harsh. Artemis put her hand on his shoulder carefully and for a moment she thought she could feel the demon in her stir. The boy flinched a little but looked up at her with big clear eyes. “Can I really get my wand back?” The female Auror smiled softly at him and nodded. He looked at her with a new light shining in his eyes. “I’ll do it, when do we start?” She breathed a sigh of relief before answering. “I think Sundays will be the most logical day to do it, so we will do the first one then. Of course, the potion will be brewed by Auror Silver so you have no reason to fear others’ involvement. In the meantime, there is also someone coming to Hogwarts later today that is going to help you. A glyph expert.” Draco looked at her confused but only nodded. A groan could be heard from Orion then. “Are you seriously thinking about what I think you are thinking? You are bringing Loftwind here to put some runes on him? The Headmistress will not like this.” Artemis just smirked at her partner. “This is why she is not going to know about it. Right?” She turned to give both her colleagues a cold look, both nodded hastily. ”Good. Now as you probably know Mr Malfoy using glyphs in this way is generally frowned upon, but this can give us some breathing room. As of now, you are totally defenceless if you are not in class and I can’t be two places at once so I called my friend in to help us. So not a word to anyone, understand?” Draco looked at her with a thoughtful expression on his face for a minute before he nodded and got up from the chair. This was the first time Artemis realised how tall the blond was and looked up at him with a smirk. “Good, now off you go and tell Mr Potter that it’s not nice to eavesdrop hm? The ringing in his ears should stop in a matter of five minutes or so.” Draco looked at her surprised before he went over to the painting and opened it. Just outside stood Potter with his hands over his ears and a blush on his face. The Aurors all shook their heads at him. After the painting closed behind the two boys, Cyril who had been silent this entire time spoke up. “I guess I better find the other two and explain to them what is happening. You two should use this time to talk.” The Auror put on his cloak and went out the door in a hurry. 

The pair stood still watching Cyril leave the office and when the painting closed the silence was heavy in the room. Even though Artemis had opened the bond again for him, Orion still had a hard time getting to terms with his feelings. It had been two days since he had told her the truth but instead of coming to him with her tears, she had gone to Cyril’s arms instead. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists together and finally picked up the courage to look her in the eye. There was more gold swimming around in the brown now than it normally was, a sign that he had to be careful with his words. He could also clearly feel the temperature dropping in the room but so far she had not moved or said anything. As expected he was going to start this conversation if they were having one at all and if he didn’t want to end up in the Hospital Wing he had to tell her the truth. “Artemis, I am deeply sorry for what I did. I never meant for it to go this far. I only did what Severus wanted with your safety in mind.” She raised her eyebrow at him, but still, she stayed quiet. “When Severus told me in his letter that he feared for your health if you were to find out about his death I felt like I had no choice. I didn’t want to see you lose control over your powers and ending up hurting innocent people like you di—” Orion stopped himself when he felt a chill run down his spine. This was getting dangerous. The rage he felt was not his own and he steeled himself before looking at her again. Artemis’s eyes were solid gold and they were directed at him. He knew that she could never kill him because of the mark but that would not stop her from hurting him. A person could endure a lot of pain before knocking on Death’s door after all. On instinct, he took a hold of his wand and pointed it at her. “Listen to me Artemis. I never meant to hurt you, it was for your own good and even if I could make the choice again I would not choose differently. So please, calm yourself.” The woman walked slowly from behind her desk and closed the distance between them. She now stood straight in front of the end of his wand. “You made Cyril take an Unbreakable Vow. What else did you do to keep this a secret?” Orion could feel goosebumps appear all over his skin at the sound of her voice. It was almost the same coldness as it had been back in the old Defence classroom ten years ago. Had it not been for the branding she would have lost control already. “I made the other two do the same. If Thompson had gotten his way you would have known much sooner. I could not take the risk.” Orion noticed from the corner of his eye the frost starting to collect on some of the potions on his desk and swallowed thickly. “You were afraid that I was going to go on a murder spree is that it? Like I did when I was only a child? I am not that weak minded anymore, Orion.” His name was said with such venom that it momentarily shocked him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Orion lowered his wand slowly and put it back inside his robe at the same time as he took a step further towards her. When she did not move he gently placed his hands off her cheeks as he had done many times before. Her eyes were still solid gold, the room was now slowly freezing over and their breaths came out as white puffs of smoke. “I’m sorry. Please. Please forgive me. Come back to me Artemis.” The woman seemed unsure of what to do, from the bond he could tell she was fighting with her emotions but suddenly the roar of the floo could be heard from behind them. Orion quickly turned around to see Loftwind coming out of the floo, struggling to drag a big suitcase behind her. The tall woman looked curiously around the room when she managed to get inside before landing on the pair. “Why in Merlin’s name is it so cold in here? Did you blow up a Pepperup Potion?” Orion turned back around to look at Artemis in panic, her eyes were still golden but the room seemed to be getting warmer. The sight of her friend seemed to bring her slowly back to her senses. 

Loftwind quickly felt the unease in room, her eyes scanning the two in front of her before landing on Artemis. A few seconds of silence passed as she stared into the golden eyes before her, neither of the other two quite sure how she would react or if they should intervene in this moment. “You’re… beautiful.” Eminence finally says, seemingly still transfixed. A second later, her eyes harden, shifting a stern look to the man beside her. “Orion?” she stated plainly, standing ready to receive instructions if necessary. The blond looked at the tall woman in front if him speechless. That was not the reaction he had expected. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his arm and looked behind him to meet Artemis’s brown eyes again. “She saw… didn’t she?” She asked in a whisper. Her hands were trembling slightly. Orion looked down on the shorter woman and was reminded of how she had been ten years ago. Scared of her own power. “Yes.” He whispered back. The room was returning to normal now, the fire in the hearth warming up the office again. “Do you want me to Obliviate her?” Orion asked seriously as he looked back at Loftwind. A sudden wave of anger through the bond sent him to his knees and he looked up at Artemis in shock. “Don’t you dare. If she saw it’s too late now.” Her voice did not have the same coldness to it as before but it was still clear that some of the demon still lingered. “You sound like you think this is the end of something.” Eminence suddenly piped up from across the room. Orion got up from his position on the floor as he laughed. “It would not have been the first.” Artemis looked guilty for a second as she looked over to her friend. “Eminence, I…” The blonde woman quickly closed the gap and took the frightened witch into her arms. “Just take a moment.” Orion felt the familiar twinge of jealousy rush through him when the taller woman hugged his partner but managed to keep himself in check. He stood in silence as he watched the women embrace each other than sighing in relief when he felt Artemis emotions stabilise. She was back to her normal self again. The blonde cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of the women in front of him. “I’m sorry to interrupt but if we are not Obliviating the woman we might have to explain a few things Artemis.” Eminence turned to look at the blond beside her. “Just take a moment.” she repeated sarcastically. Artemis wriggled free from the taller woman’s grasp and looked up at her with serious eyes. “Eminence what did you see exactly?” She took a step back while crossing her arms, a sign of trying to protect herself Orion had noticed. “You had eyes of pure gold, and… I’d never seen you look at me quite that way before. It felt like something more than _you_. That was your source awakened, wasn’t it?” Orion started to laugh then. “Yeah, if by source you mean Satan himself.” He stopped his laughter immediately when Artemis looked at him with gold eyes. “Proves my point” He mumbled while holding his hands up in defeat. Eminence sighed. “A time and a place, Silver. I’m trying to address my friend’s serious worries, I don’t need comic relief.” The blond just frowned in response, while taking a seat at his desk. Artemis turned to Eminence again with a sigh. “He is not wrong, sadly. I have a lot to tell you but let’s move into the private quarters. Away from prying eyes.” Orion watched as the two women walked to the bedroom. Before they entered, the tall woman quickly turned to the blond. “Are you all right Orion? You fell down out of nowhere when you asked to Obliviate me. Which for the record, I don’t much appreciate.” “Artemis will explain and know this, had it been up to me you would not even remember any of this by now.” he responded curtly. Artemis gave him another cold look before shutting the door firmly behind them, leaving him alone with his thoughts.


	6. Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again is a chapter that Emelie and I wrote at the same time, she is writing Eminence's perspective while I am filling in the rest. So again if you are wondering why the writing style is a little different in this one that is the reason!

Draco looked at the raven head in front of him with a smirk. The boy looked at him sheepishly while holding his hands over his ears. “Tsk, Auror Blackmoore says that eavesdropping is a bad thing, Potter.” Potter looked at him in concentration for a second. “WHAT?” The blond winced at the volume of the other boy's voice. “I CAN’T HEAR YOU.” Draco had to put his hand over the other's mouth to make him shut up. The witch had said that the ringing would stop after five minutes so all they had to do was wait. He put his finger in front of his mouth to signal to Potter to be quiet. The raven head nodded his head with a grin. The office door opened again then and Auror Thompson emerged in the doorway, he looked at them both in surprise before the painting firmly shut behind him. “I bet that he is still deaf?” He waved at Potter who automatically replied with a loud “HELLO, SIR”. Draco hit him on the shoulder as punishment which in turn earned him a scowl in return. “Is there a counterspell for this Sir?” He begged the older wizard. “I’m afraid only Auror Zabini knows it, that hex is his invention and he is not fond of sharing counterspells to his own creations I’m afraid. But it should stop eventually as Auror Blackmoore mentioned.” He chuckled at the disappointed look Draco gave him. “What class do both of you have now?” The man asked almost too politely for Draco’s taste. “We have self study until dinner, Sir. The Headmistress so gracefully gave us permission to do it wherever we want to.” The man chuckled again and nodded. “What a loving Headmistress you have. Well, you should run along to your studies then. I assume you will be in the presence of Mr Potter here until dinner?” Draco had planned to go back to his room but he figured if he told the Auror that he would be followed there and not be let out again without an escort so he nodded. The man smiled at them both. “Very well. Oh and if the ringing doesn’t wear off you should go and find Auror Zabini.” Draco nodded in understanding while Potter still looked confused while the Auror left them. The blond looked over to the raven head with a smirk. “So you can’t hear me, can you? Don’t mind if I call you the Saviour then?” Potter’s confused look made him laugh out loud and when the look turned into a pout he laughed even harder. Looking at one of the mightiest wizards in the world pout because he could not hear anything was too much for Draco as he clutched his stomach. He rested his hand on the frame of Salazar’s painting so that he could catch his breath when he felt a sudden chill go through him. He retreated his hand as if burned and looked at the painting confused. It looked normal from what he could tell. Then he noticed something seeping from underneath it, was that ice? Puzzled Draco was about to lean down to take a closer look when Potter trampled with his feet to get his attention. The blond looked at him with a grin. “What? Potty got a hissy fit from not getting attention?” The blond started to laugh at the pout Potter gave him again and had no choice but to follow him when he started walking away in frustration. 

Granger had insisted that they all go to the library to get the most out of their self study time. Seeing as the eighth years’ schedule was different from the other years the library was quiet. Madam Pince was ever watchful though from her seat at the entrance desk. A group of Slytherins and Gryffindors sitting together was clearly a sign of disaster for the old librarian. Weasley had complained loudly enough for all of them but a smack at the back of the head from his girlfriend made him shut his mouth and start working. The redhead was now pulling his hair out of frustration about his potion homework but refused to ask anyone for help. Draco rolled his eyes at him while looking back to his charms essay. They all had to write about why Depulso was useful and how it would be without it. The blond was slowly losing focus as he read the page on the charm. Lazily he started to flip the pages of the book stopping when he came to the page about Glamours. He took a quick peek at Potter next to him, the Saviour was nose deep in his own charm essay and not paying the blond any mind. The raven head still hadn’t gotten rid of the ringing so he was focusing more than usual. He started to skim over the information on the page until he found the part were it talked about what the spell did not work on. His eyes widened and he let out a gasp. “Something the matter Malfoy?” Draco looked up and met the curious eyes of Granger. “Ah, no nothing.” Not known to let an opportunity get away from her she leaned over the table to look at the page he was looking at. “Glamour? You trying to disguise yourself?” The blond shook his head no. “Just curious about the spell. I was wondering if it could hide everything or not.” Granger looked at him with a sad look in her eyes. “It should be able to hide, you know.” She pointed at her own left forearm. Draco looked at her dumbly, of course the goody two shoes thought he had meant the dark mark. Not that he hadn’t thought about hiding it, but after seeing what Auror Blackmoore was hiding it seemed petty in comparison. “Not what I had in mind Granger, but appreciate the thought.” “What are you gonna hide then Malfoy? That really blond hair of yours?” Weasley snickered at his own joke lamely. “At least I am not a redhead like you Weasley.” The other man looked like he was about to resort with something but one look from Granger stopped him. “Found anything interesting then?” Her big eyes were full of want to learn something new, Draco swore that she should have been a Ravenclaw and not a Gryffindor. He knew that he would not get away now without answering and moved the book towards her, tapping the paragraph about what it can’t hide. “Seems like it can’t hide everything.” Granger scanned the page with knitted eyebrows. “There was a slave ritual?! How terrible!” “Of course there was one Granger, what do you think Fullbloods used before house elves were a thing?” Blaise said from further down the table with a knowing look. “Are we making Malfoy a slave now!?” Everyone looked at Potter’s confused face and started to laugh. Earning them a strict “Shush!” from Madam Pince. “Got your hearing back mate?” Weasley snickered. The raven head blinked at them all confused but nodded. “What were you talking about?” Granger turned the book towards him. “Did you know that Full bloods used a slave ritual back before the 1800th hundreds Harry?! That is totally insane! I mean muggles used slaves as well but actually having them use a blood ritual is horrible.” Potter frowned at the book while scanning the page. “So a Glamour can’t hide that mark then? But that was a long time ago though ‘mione. No person would have that kind of scar today right?” Suddenly the boy’s eyes widen even more. “Wait! We are not writing the paper on Glamour right?! Don’t tell me I have written about the wrong charm?!” Granger rolled his eyes at him. “No, Harry we are writing it on Depulso so calm down.” Draco would laugh at Potter’s face had it not been for the information he now possessed, again Auror Blackmoore words rang in his head. _“The_ _one scar I can never hide.”_ Was that raven actually a slave mark? Who would be her master then? Did she have one? Draco’s mind was swimming with questions. He really wanted to get out of his chair and march back to the Auror office but figured it would only get him in trouble. Instead he turned the page back to the Depulso charm and starting reading where he left off.

Artemis leaned on the door for a second calming her anger from her partner’s behaviour. It was not surprising to her that he had wanted to Obliviate Eminence, this was not the first time people had seen her like this after all. But the ones before were mostly petty criminals that were going to get punishment, them being Obliviated was nothing suspicious. This was completely different, this was her friend he had talked about. Artemis looked at Eminence who was studying Septimus’s bed for reasons the brunette did not know. She had to decide exactly what to tell the taller woman, did she tell her the whole truth? She bit her lip and went to sit on her own bed. “Eminence, have a seat. We have a lot to talk about.” “Of course. I imagine breaking this old a secret isn’t easy for you, but I’m listening.” She sat down on the bed, hopping a little checking the springs. “How does anybody fall asleep on something this bouncy? Would keep me up all night!” Artemis smiled at her while chuckling before turning serious again. “As much as I hate to admit it, Orion was not far from the truth when he said ‘Satan himself’ earlier. Yes you did see my ‘source’, as you call it, awaken. But it’s a little bit more complicated than that and I have to start from the beginning for you to understand.” Artemis looked at the other woman in front of her waiting for a comment. "I really thought that was a joke, didn’t expect you to agree… but go on. I’m not running away yet.” Eminence urged. Artemis took a deep breath before continuing. “As a child I was kidnapped by someone who called himself The Vanisher. I am still looking for the man now but that is beside the point. He kidnapped children who he thought had extraordinary magical abilities. I was one of these kids. I only remember bits and pieces from the time I spent with him, but I do know that we all went through vigorous training to control our magic. I know that he returned the others back to their families when he deemed them good enough. But he told me that he would never return me to my parents. ‘They can’t control you.’ He kept telling me. One night he gave me a letter and simply left me outside of the Ministry in London. The letter contained a warning to them that if they did not follow it, there would be grave consequences. Of course they did not listen. I was placed in a orphanage.” Artemis took another breath while giving Eminence time to let the information sink in. 

She pondered for some time, then nodded. “There’s more to this story.” The Auror nodded in response. “I assume you have heard of ‘The Orphan Massacre’ that happened in 1979?” “I’m not good with years, but I think that’s the one I’ve read about. There was only one survivor, a child. They called it a miracle.” Artemis nodded slowly. “That was me. I was the only survivor, because I was the one who killed everyone. It was the first time I lost control.” Eminence’s eyes widened to the point where you could barely see the green of her irises. “Oh no. I’m so, so sorry-” Before she got any further Artemis held up her hand to stop her so she could carry on. “To shorten the story a bit, me coming here to Hogwarts I believed to be a blessing. I was wrong. It was hell on earth living here, I had no friends and because of my ‘source’ I could not live with the other students in the dorm. Severus Snape took me in and I lived in his personal chambers all throughout school. But when we were in seventh year here at Hogwarts I met Orion and the others. It was purely by chance that Orion was walking his night rounds as a Prefect and I was lazing around the castle unable to sleep. We talked for a while and somehow he took a interest in me I suppose.” Artemis smiled softly to herself. “By chance we had potions together the next day and we met again. For the first time someone actually stood up to me and talked to me like I was a real person. To believe it was the Royal Court even.” She laughed a little. “Was that the class when we were split off from the Slytherins? Professor Snape was so mad about that! Having to scrap our projects… At least something good came of it.” Artemis smirked at the witch’s comment. “Yes, he was furious for a long time. Anyway, not long after I met you too, that was the first time I went to Hogsmeade with someone actually. You made me really happy when you called my magic beautiful back then.” “And I still mean it every time!” Eminence interjected. The brunette looked at Eminence with a smile and quickly dried a tear she felt rolling down her cheek. “Anyway, Severus figured out that mine and Orion’s magical cores were a match, it calmed down the… demon blood in me when he was close or touching me. It never worked with any of the other boys. He did some research and found a bond ritual that he tweaked to fit our situation. That is why Orion fell to the floor earlier, he was taken aback by the sudden anger that I sent towards him with the bond. I can also tell that he is nervous right now and a little guilty.” Artemis was holding her breath now, waiting for her friends reaction. She had decided on purpose not to tell her about the brand mark. The fact that she had been bonded to Orion for the last ten years would be information enough for now. “Thank you for trusting me with all this. I understand your hesitance to tell me, …to tell anyone! It’s a lot to take in. I see why the two of you have been seemingly inseparable now, despite not infrequent spats. Can’t be easy. I’ve enough trouble with just my own emotions, can’t imagine feeling somebody else’s as well. Not so directly. Is there give-and-take? Does Orion get something from the bond? No, before anything else: would you like another hug?” Artemis looked at her friend in surprise but nodded in approval to the hug blushing slightly. The tall witch spread her arms wide, beckoning her shorter friend towards her. The brunette smiled slightly at the blonde before accepting the embrace. “I’m sorry to have kept it from you for so long, but it’s not really something you can start discussing over tea you know?” Eminence sighs softly. “Yeah, I get that, it’s not an easy topic to broach!” The two witches broke apart then. “Though honestly, it might just be me but we can definitely discuss these kinds of things over tea.” Artemis grinned at her friend before answering her question. “Orion does get some benefits from this as well. He gets a power increase on his magical core so he can do spells wandless that would otherwise be impossible. It of course enhances the magic from the wand as well, so everything becomes more powerful. It is to ensure that he can keep me under control when needed or to bring me back to my normal self. That was what you walked in on earlier.” Eminence looked at Artemis fascinated. “Wait, so he’s been using high level wandless magic all this time without mentioning it to me even once? That’s cold. How does it feel when the demon side takes over?” Artemis laughed a little at the cold remark but turned sombre when she heard the second question. “Ah. Well, I don’t actually feel anything. It’s like someone else takes control and I am only a bystander to the show. I remember everything that happens in bits and pieces afterwards.” “So you were actually kinda out of it when I arrived?” Before Artemis could reply Orion walked into the bedroom cautiously. He looked around before his eyes met Artemis. “I see you are both still alive.” Artemis rolled her eyes. “Like you wouldn’t know if I died.” Orion just looked at her with a stern look before continuing. “I was wondering if you were coming to dinner? I am starving personally.” “For attention?” Eminence quipped with a grin. The Auror scowled back at the blonde sitting on the bed. Artemis felt a needle of irritation through the bond and had to bite her lip to stop herself to match her friend’s grin. “Eminence can’t be seen by the Headmistress so we will eat here today. I’ll get Mips to bring us something. You can go. Follow Malfoy here after you are done eating will you?” With a last scowl directed at Eminence the man left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

“Mips!” The elf showed up with a soft sound as she looked around with big curious eyes. “You called Misses?” The brunette smiled at the curious elf. “Yes, could you bring me and Eminence some dinner, please? We are not going to the Great Hall to eat you see.” Mips looked at Artemis strictly before she replied. “But what about Missters? You are supposed to take care of him! What if something happens when Missters eat his dinner? It can be poisoned! Or worse!” The elf started to pace around in circles while she ranted. Artemis had to get off the bed, go over to her and put her hands on the elf’s shoulders. “Mips! It’s fine! Orion is keeping watch. Besides the whole teachers’ table is filled with talented witches and wizards remember?” The elf looked at the Auror with a sceptical look but nodded in the end. “Fine! If Misses says so. But you better go back to work after eating Misses!” Artemis laughed at the elf. “Yes yes, I promise. So can you get us some food?” Mips was about to leave when it looked like she just realised that Eminence was there. “Misses friend!? Clever friend! Master always was happy with the work you did! Always said that Ravenclaw friend was a good clever girl!” Eminence smiles proudly at the complements. “It’s great to hear he had kind words for me behind closed doors as well!” The elf turned her gaze towards Artemis again. “Misses is also very clever of course! Master was very proud of Misses.” Mips ears seemed to be pulled down towards the floor as she spoke. Artemis could feel the tears forming in her eyes as she squeezed the elf’s shoulders softly. “Thank you Mips and it’s a secret that Eminence is here so don’t tell anyone hm?” The elf’s ears picked up again at the word secret. ”Secret? Mips can keep a secret! Mips will never tell!” She put both her hands over her mouth tightly. Artemis let go of the elf then and stood up. “Good, now the food Mips?” Mips nodded enthusiastically while she bowed so low her nose touched the floorboards then disappeared. Artemis shook her head as she laughed lightly. “Merlin that elf. She hasn’t change during the last ten years that is for sure.” The Auror walked the short few steps back to the bed. “I hadn’t actually met her before now.” Eminence remarked. “She seems great.” Artemis raised an eyebrow in question. “Really? She was Severus’s house elf. I am planning on taking her with me after this mission is done.” Mips quickly returned with their food, presenting it proudly in front of her. “Here you go Misses and clever friend.” Artemis took the tray from the elf placing it carefully on the bed in-between the two women. “Thank you Mips, you can go back now.” Mips looked at her with glee, bowed then disappeared again. 

Orion walked into the Great Hall right as dinner was about to begin. It was filled with students chatting about their day and the volume was louder than usual. He took a peek over to the Slytherin table and almost immediately spotted Malfoy among them. The blond walked over to the table in a quick pace, curious students from the closest seats following his every move. The conversation around the table halted when he got close enough. His eyes met the younger blond’s as he nodded curtly at him. “Mr Malfoy. I need you to follow me to the Aurors’ Office after dinner. So wait for me when you are done eating please.” Malfoy nodded to him in understanding. The Auror also gave his colleagues at the table a nod as he walked towards the teachers table when he noticed who was sitting next to the Headmistress. Vanessa Burns was waving at him excitedly. “Auror Silver!! I saved you a seat right here!” The woman pointed to the empty chair next to her. He scanned the teachers‘ table and confirmed that it was the only vacant seat. Cyril was smirking at him like a wolf would look at a sheep. Steeling himself Orion walked up to the table and took a seat. “Miss Burns, we meet again.” The woman next to him was cutting her chicken almost violently when she talked. “The Headmistress just told me that all of you Aurors ate in the Great Hall and I got so excited! None of you have changed at all! It is a shame that Blackmoore is not here though, where is she?” “That is something I would like to know as well as Auror Silver. She has shown herself only once since she came here. What is her excuse this time?” Headmistress McGonagall asked before he could answer Burns. He took a sip of water from his glass to calm down his irritation towards the both of them before answering as polite as he could. “She had a lot of work to attend to, so she is taking her meal in the office. I will make sure she is at more meals from tomorrow onward Ma’m.” The older witch let out a snort before turning her attention to Professor Flitwick at her right. The blond wizard froze when he felt a hand on his knee and looked at the woman next to him with a dry smile. “Miss Burns?” Burns smiled sweetly at him, it was still the same ten years later it seemed and it still made him slightly sick to his stomach. “Oh! I am so sorry! It seemed like my hand slipped for a second there. You know I will tell you a secret.” She leaned even closer to him now. He had to will every fibre of his body not to jump out of the chair and run straight out of the Hall. “Oh really? What is that then?” His voice was polite but cold. “I had the biggest crush on you back when we were in school. I never had the courage to tell you back then you see. But now I felt I had to do it so I would not miss my chance again.” She giggled like a school girl while a blush spread across her face. Orion gave her the most neutral smile he could muster. “I see, I never knew. I am honoured.” He placed his hand over the one she had on his knee and gently removed it from his presence. “But let us not do anything scandalous in front of the students now, hm?” It seemed like the word ‘scandalous’ was enough to get the woman to blush even harder. Orion was glad that he could not see what was going on in her head right then as he started to eat the chicken that waited in front of him. “Oh my, Orion! I never knew you were that kind of man.” Hearing his first name from the woman’s lips sent shivers down his spine. He was never going to complain about how Artemis said his name again, angry or not. Orion winked at her while he took another sip of his glass. The woman started to babble nonsense in return and he tuned her out. The faster he could finish his food the quicker he could get out of here.

Thankfully the Headmistress pulled Burns into a conversation with herself and Flitwick which gave the Auror a chance to escape after he finished. He said his goodbyes to the teachers and marched down towards the Slytherin table were Malfoy was getting out of his seat. “Ready to go Mr Malfoy?” “Yes, Sir.” Zacharias looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You alright there King? It looked like you were molested up there.” Snickering could be heard from the table as he rolled his eyes. “Language Auror Zabini. Follow me, Mr Malfoy.” He turned around and started to walk out of the Great Hall. Orion knew the boy was following him by the click of his shoes as he hurried far away from the Hall as possible before letting out a loud groan. Malfoy was looking at him puzzled. “Sir?” Orion stopped to lean against the wall for a second. “I’m sorry Mr Malfoy but that was the most painful meal I’ve ever had in my life. That woman is a nightmare. I never expected to see her again and then she shows up here of all places. I didn’t even know she was a certified teacher of the subject.” Orion pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, he could feel a headache coming. He looked up to meet Malfoy’s eyes. “Don’t trust that woman.” “I don’t trust that woman.” both wizards said at the same time. They blinked at each other before Orion smirked at the younger blond. “Well, well. Seems like you are a Slytherin, after all, Mr Malfoy. What makes you not trust her?” He started to walk in the direction towards the staircase while keeping his surroundings in mind. You never knew who could be listening. Malfoy walked into step with him next to him. “When Auror Blackmoore entered the Defence classroom earlier today she pointed her wand at Professor Burns, then told a lie about mistaking her for a Death Eater before leaving in a hurry. I don’t believe the Auror would do that Sir. Potter seem to agree to this as well.” Orion looked at him surprised as he step on the staircase to the second floor waiting for it to align with the next set. “Auror Blackmoore pointed her wand at her?” “Yes, Sir. She looked ill before she left the classroom too.” When Artemis had Apparated into the office earlier today he had not noticed anything from the woman, which meant that she probably had closed the bond right before this event. She probably panicked when she saw Burns in the classroom and for once the instinct to flee won before anything else. It was probably for the best Orion reasoned. He could not Apparate of free will inside the castle like she could and would therefore not make it to the classroom before something fatal happened. The two blonds stepped off the stairs when it had reached the landing to the third floor and started walking down the hall when Orion realised something. “Wait, did you say that Potter also agrees?” Malfoy looked at him. “Yes, Sir. He also did not buy Auror Blackmoore’s excuse. The man might be paranoid after the war but he still has some sense. I have learned to trust that now. If I may be so bold, sir. Who is that woman?” Orion studied the Slytherin before him and sighed. “She is one that myself and my colleagues went to school with. The rest is not my story to tell I’m afraid. But she was never good news back then, let’s hope that has changed.” They now stood in front of the office door, for a second Orion hesitated to go in. Even though Artemis had opened the bond earlier not many emotions had been let through it. Not that this had to mean something was wrong, but she was not alone at this given time which made him nervous for reasons unknown. However, Malfoy grabbed his shoulder before he could open the door. Puzzled he turned towards the younger man. “Yes? Is something the matter Mr Malfoy?” Malfoy looked at the floor saying nothing for a minute, Orion was beginning to lose his patience before he looked up at him. Grey eyes met ice blue. ”Please answer me honestly if you can Sir. Auror Blackmoore doesn’t want to be here does she?” There were multiple ways to go with this answer Orion thought to himself. He could give in to the request of being honest, or he could simply lie. Either way worked for him, but then again if he lied the relationship that Artemis was trying to build with the young Malfoy might get set back if his lie was figured out. He pulled himself up to his full height before meeting the young Slytherins eye again. “If I am going to be brutally honest with you Mr Malfoy. I am sure that Auror Blackmoore would rather take on You-Know-Who’s army all by herself instead of being inside the walls of this castle again.” The boy seemed to will himself to go through the floor rather than stand before him. Orion almost pitied him, almost. “However, she is here to prevent history from repeating itself. You made a good choice to ask for her personally, I can assure you that none other would come to your rescue. It is solely because of her that the rest of the team are here, myself included. You better remember that. So count yourself lucky Mr Malfoy.” Orion did not bother to wait for a reply from the other blond before he turned towards the door again and walked in.

The office was empty but Orion could hear laughing from the bedroom. He rolled his eyes as he went to knock on the door, before he got an answer though he opened it. “Sorry to disturb ladies but I’m here with Mr Malfoy.” He winked the boy over to the room and motioned him to enter. “Ah, Auror Silver, there you are. Took you long enough. Mr Malfoy have a seat in the chair over there.” The boy did as he was instructed to do by Artemis. Orion took a look around and noted that Loftwind had indeed gone to work after their meal. Rune circles could be seen on the floor, some of the beds were moved to make room for a chair in the middle of the room now and at least a dozen small light balls hung around in the air. Orion stood in the door while Artemis introduced the two to each other. “Mr Malfoy this is Eminence Loftwind. The glyphs expert I told you about earlier. Eminence this is Draco Malfoy. The reason I am here at the moment. Miss Loftwind will be explaining to you what she is going to do to you, nothing too dangerous I assure you.” Artemis gave Loftwind a side look. “I will be outside in the office as I will only get in the way of Miss Loftwind’s work. But call for me if you are in need of help, got it?” Malfoy and Loftwind shook hands politely, Loftwind with the biggest grin on her face. It made Orion shudder to think about what the woman was gonna do to the boy. Getting runes on the body was not the most pleasant. But compared to the Dark Mark it would be a walk in the park he supposed. Artemis looked at Loftwind again with a knowing look. “Don’t forget the thing I gave you.” Loftwind nodded before turning her attention to Malfoy. “Well come on Auror Silver, time to leave.” Artemis pushed him out the door with a little more force than necessary he thought. She closed the door behind her then walking over to her own desk and sitting down heavily in the office chair. The woman let out something between a whine and a groan. “That was the most painful experience of my life.” Orion looked at the woman curiously. “What was?” He jumped slightly when gold eyes flashed before him. “Ah, yes. She took it well? Or do I still need to Obliviate her?” The woman groaned louder in frustration. “No, she seems fine with it. I did not tell her the whole truth, but it will be enough for now. Why did you take so long to enter the office anyway?” Orion sat down behind his own desk then, moving some papers around it before answering cursing to himself that she had the ability to pinpoint his exact location while he could not do the same for her. “He just asked me some questions, nothing serious. Don’t worry about it.” He could tell that she did not believe him, but apparently she did not care enough to dig more about the subject as she stayed quiet. 

What Auror Silver had told him before was still swimming around in his head when he sat down in the chair. It wasn’t until he had shaken hands with the tall woman that he had got himself back to reality. Her name did ring a bell somehow, but he wasn’t sure where he had heard it before. The woman in question was walking around the room looking at different papers that were spread out across the room, humming to herself. It was not a song that Draco recognised but it sounded soothing somehow. If she was a friend of Auror Blackmoore at least he was in safe hands he reasoned and willed himself to relax more in the chair. They had obviously used the Aurors’ private sleeping chamber for this as not to get caught by any of the teachers. He wondered if the female Auror also shared this room with the other men or if she had her own room. Then he noticed the different runes that were on the floor, the Auror had said that this woman was a runes expert. According to some of the more advanced runes, this seemed to be a true fact. He cleared his throat to get the witch’s attention. “Miss Loftwind? What exactly are you going to do to me? Auror Blackmoore said that you were going to explain.” Loftwind paused in her song and looked at him. “How much do you know about runes, Mr Malfoy?” “Top of the class Ma’m.” Draco smirked proudly at the witch and was met with a smirk back almost matching his own. “Excellent! In short, we’re giving you some of this.” she stated, and with a flick of the wrist dispelled the Glamour that hid the runes on her body and joyfully presented her arms. “I’ve devised a method for writing runes to skin without causing permanent damage and minimal pain.” The Slytherin widened his eyes while staring at the witch’s arms. He unconsciously pulled his sleeve over his left arm down. “How will this method be done then and isn’t this highly frowned upon?” Eminence quickly returned to her preparations. “It’s honestly gotten quite boring since the beginning of my research. Still looks quite impressive though I must admit. You select a location, and I’ll make the rune and attach it. I’m planning on making just two simple ones today, mostly because anything more would take quite long. And the reason it’s frowned upon, primarily, is exactly what my method doesn’t do. As mentioned, the pain and the permanent marks. I avoid those. Besides, giving you additional secret magical resources is by itself frowned upon, Mr Malfoy. Can I call you Draco?” Draco payed close attention when the witch explained her work but got surprised by the question of using his first name. “Ah, yes I suppose that is fine Ma’m.” “Great, then please call me Eminence in return. I don’t feel old enough for Ma’m yet.” she interjected. “Then please put them on the right arm, the left is kind of occupied…” Draco rolled up his sleeve on his right arm while looking at Eminence. “Sure, I can probably fit them. Reject and Dogwhistle aren’t exactly complicated. You’ll mostly have to be prepared to sit still for fifteen, thirty minutes.” The blond raised his eyebrows at her. “Reject and Dogwhistle? That is something the Aurors wanted me to have correct? It seems so simple.” Eminence smiles mischievously. “I chose those, actually. Art— Aurors Blackmoore and Silver never studied runes and simply left it up to me. They _are_ simple tools, but quite effective for what we want from them: a way for you to escape and get help if push comes to shove.” The Slytherin smiled apologetically. When he thought about it more it did seem like a good choice after all. Without his wand, he could not even put up a ward even if he wanted to.

He watched as the witch started to do the finishing touches on the floor. She drew multiple lines between the runes while she continued to hum. Draco wondered how close of a relationship the woman had to the Aurors, he had not missed that she had almost called Auror Blackmoore by her first name. This might be a chance he would not get again. “Are you close to Auror Blackmoore, Eminence?”. The witch stopped and looked up at him from where she sat crouched on the floor. “Yes. We met during our last year here at Hogwarts, and have been quite close friends ever since. I’ve known Or— Si— Orion for a bit longer.” His mind started to wander back to all the scars the woman had and wondered if Eminence knew about them. “I see, was Auror Blackmoore a klutz when she went to school?” She tilted her head and gave him a curious look. “She was quite often hurt, but it was rarely ever her own fault. It’s been only a day, what rumour mills have begun spinning now?” The witch returned briefly to her work drawing on the floor before grasping something on her right hip, and with a tap of her left hand, the runes around the room came to life. Draco looked at the glowing runes getting slightly nervous before replying. “The Slytherin table is notorious for spreading gossip and one of my friends is the queen of it. It was just something I overheard over dinner. Somebody did say that she has a tattoo though, is that your work perhaps?” He motioned to all the different runes on her body as an example. He was not sure if the witch knew about the raven scar but this was a way to confirm it or not. Eminence’s eyes widened further than Draco had anticipated. “That’s surprising. No tattoos, no, but it wouldn’t be surprising if somebody thought so. If I recall correctly Cyril has one and Artemis had something do to with that one. However, I’ve never known her to slip up in covering that mark. At least they’re Slytherin rumours, if your house is anything like I remember them from my time this can pass easily.” Not missing the insult to his own house Draco frowned slightly, also storing the information about Auror Thompson’s tattoo for later. “Mark? So it’s not a tattoo then?” The blond felt like he was treading in dangerous waters, but he had gotten this far. “Again, I’m quite shocked anyone could have known. There is a distinct mark that she will not show happily, so I’d be grateful if you could help shut this one down for her sake. By the way, watch this:” She walked toward the centre of the room, near Draco, grabbed her wand from her right side and tapped the floor with her foot. The glyph responded and an ethereal blue cluster of light floated up to just under the height of her chest. “Come to think of it, you didn’t actually _have_ to remain seated for any of this. Hadn’t really considered that, sorry.” She started weaving her hands through the light in front of her, gradually altering its shape. The Slytherin knew that he would not get anymore information about Auror Blackmoore’s scar from the glyph expert, he was already putting himself at risk for asking about it in the first place. If the Auror somehow found out about him asking around it would probably not end well. Instead, he started paying attention to the case at hand. “I would have preferred to keep sitting anyway.” He said while studying the runes. “This is fascinating though, I got to admit. Are you sure this is not going to leave any permanent scars?” Eminence scoffed at the question. “Watch.” She tapped her wand against the underside of her left arm which began emitting the familiar light of an activated rune. Ribbons of golden light gathered toward the palm of her hand which she directed behind her, and moments later a small cloud had formed which she promptly sat down on. The witch then displayed her arm to Draco. “Not a trace.” Draco had to try not to roll his eyes. “Show off.” He mumbled. “Yes you got me convinced. Should we get this started for real then? I’m sure the Aurors are growing impatient.” He stretched his right arm towards her. “Of course, just one more moment.” She stood up and walked over to her suitcase in the corner of the room, returning a few vials of colourful dust and some inks. Pouring out the contents of a couple of vials into the floating shiny object she had conjured, she started drawing a Reject rune in mid-air inside it. Draco raised his eyebrow in question. He had to admit this was an unorthodox way of doing it but he had no choice but to trust the witch in front of him and hope that she knew what she was doing. “There, now finally your arm please. We’ll just wrap this around it. You can do it if you want, I’ll help guide the glyph. Lets you place it where you think it’s most convenient to use.” He thought about it for a moment before decided to place it in the middle of the bottom side of his lower right arm. The witch smiles. “Great, now to draw a Dogwhistle too.” She retrieves the rest of the vials she had stashed in her pockets, including one containing a viscous red liquid and starts weaving them into a rune. The vial looked suspicious to Draco, he knew that the rune could be altered by the use of different ingredients but pouring something that seemed like blood made him curious. “Is that blood you’re poring on the rune?” Eminence nodded slowly. “Artemis’s idea, and not a bad one honestly. Blood is a strong bond, lets you hear Dogwhistles across vast distances.” “So that is Auror Blackmoore’s blood?” Draco asked in shock, he would have never thought the Auror would go that far to protect him. “Mm-hmm” the witch replied softly, still focused on her work. “Now then, let’s get this one situated as well.” she says moments later. The blond stretched out his arm to the right and pointed at the underside of the upper arm. “Here would be good, Eminence.” She smiles and promptly pushes the glyph toward his arm, carefully placing it flush against his skin. “Done! Let’s see how worried or bored they got shall we?” Draco got up from the chair feeling his legs shaking slightly while the lights in the room snuffed out one by one. The rune expert started to clean away her equipment while he went for the door. 

Carefully opening it the first thing he saw was Auror Blackmoore asleep on her desk. Auror Silver was deep in concentration with his nose in a cauldron brewing a potion of some sort. He walked the two steps over to the female Auror and tapped her shoulder carefully. The brunette almost jumped out of her chair. “What?! Oh, Mr Malfoy. You’re done I see.” Her surprised look changed into a calm one when she realised it was him. “Yes, Miss.” She let out a long yawn as a reply before standing up. “Let me look then.” He showed her the runes and she nodded in approval. “Good, remember don’t show them to anyone if you can avoid it alright?” He nodded and rolled down his sleeve. Then the taller woman emerged from the other room with her suitcase in tow. “There we go, all packed! I guess I have to take the same way out as I did in?” “If you don’t want to be chewed out by the Headmistress then yes, that is the best way.” Orion spoke up from his desk. “Stop being rude Orion. Yes, that is the safest way Eminence. Thank you for today.” The tall witch curtsied clumsily, still having one hand on her suitcase. “Always a pleasure Artemis! It was a great opportunity to test out my new Canvas anyway. I would have loved to stay, but I’d probably quickly get you in trouble then. Feel free to drop by my shop whenever, all three of you! My door is always open, and that’s not just because I get customers coming through.” She started towards the floo, then stopped herself again. “Oh, before I forget. If my Nimbus is still there come evening, just push it against the roof. And Draco, if you haven’t activated a rune before without your wand handy, I recommend making some to practice with at your earliest convenience.” The Aurors exchanged a confused expression with the mentioning of Nimbus as Draco had to hide a smirk remembering that none of them had taken runes so they would be thinking of the broom instead. After the witch had entered the floo and disappeared the mood in the room seemed to change. Draco was sure that there was something going on between the two Aurors who were in the office but he was not sure what. Auror Blackmoore stretched on the spot before turning her attention towards him. “Well, then Mr Malfoy. I’ll follow you back to the dungeons. Come on.” The woman started to move before hearing his reply, a common thing among Aurors he figured. They walked side by side down to the Slytherin common room in silence. All Draco wanted was to go to bed, it had been a long day and for once he thought he could get a night’s sleep without having nightmares. When the pair entered the common room however Pansy and Blaise were waiting for him. Both curious as to what he had been doing in the Aurors’ office this entire time. Auror Blackmoore just smiled at them politely and said good night to him before she left. She was probably exhausted as well. His friends had bombarded him with questions the second the older woman had left but he was not in the mood to answer. So he simply went up to his room to go to sleep.


	7. Routine

The next few days went by without much happening. The Headmistress came by their office one afternoon to look at how they were doing but other than that she mostly talked only to Orion during meals. He was the only one who continuously ate his meals at the teachers’ table and it seemed she had no interest in talking with any of the others. Which worked for the rest of them. Artemis was still suspicious of Burns and what she was doing back at school. But so far the two women had only glared at each other when passing in the hallways from time to time. Cyril had offered to follow Draco to Defence in her place seeing the history the two of them had, which Artemis gracefully accepted. Surprisingly Draco had not asked any questions about it and the female Auror was not going to put questions in his mouth so she did not give him an explanation when it seemed to not be required. What did not change however was Draco’s nightmares. Ever since the first night, Artemis had been awoken by Peeves telling her the boy was vomiting up his guts again. It was now Saturday night and once again the ghost silently appeared before the witch. This time she had not bothered going to sleep at all and was laying on her bed reading a book. “Same as usual?” She asked the ghost. Peeves nodded sombrely to her. “It seems to get worse Little One.” Artemis sighed while getting out of bed. She kept her shoes right next to her bed now for convenience. The brunette wondered why she even bothered changing into a nightgown at this point while she draped an everyday cloak over herself. All of them had sent one set of their uniforms to the house elves for cleaning earlier that evening and there was no point in wearing it down to the dungeons now anyway. As she had done for several days now the witch headed into the office and picked up a Dreamless Sleep and an Anti Nausea potion. Orion was now making bigger batches of both of them as multiple students were requesting them in the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey had almost begged him for his assistance. Professor Slughorn could have course do it, but the nurse had insisted that Orion’s potions worked better than the Professor’s. Ever the people-pleaser Orion had of course accepted. Artemis Apparated directly into Draco’s room, after the second time she had straight up told him that she could do it. It saved time and people asking questions if someone saw her enter his room this late. It was better to stay discreet in this instance. The scene was the same as it had been the previous nights, the bedsheets were a mess, cover and pillow were on the floor like he had run over to the bathroom in a hurry. She flicked her wrist and the candles in the room came to life throwing a soft light around the room. No evidence of vomit on the floor this time at least she thought. Retching noises could be heard the closer she came to the bathroom, she sighed again when she saw him. Clutching the toilet bowl like his life depended on it, not noticing her entry. If someone else but her ever found him, he would be a sitting duck like this. Carefully she approached, the witch had figured out the hard way that surprising the boy was not a good idea. Her right shoulder still arched slightly where he had hit her last time. “Draco? Can you hear me?” The boy stilled for a second but continued to retch. “Your stomach was empty a long time ago Draco. You have to stop.” Artemis leaned down and put her left hand flat on his back starting to stroke up and down soothingly. This night it had seemed that he had forgone the nightshirt, a smart choice seeing as it would just get dirty anyway. With her right hand, she pried his right hand off the side of the toilet bowl, slowly making him lean backwards. The witch then sat down fully on the floor making him lean fully against her. The position was strangely intimate but it had worked the previous night and Artemis hoped it did the trick tonight as well. She had figured out quick that the boy was not to be underestimated, he had numerous ways of reacting to the nightmares. The first night he had been scared which was to be expected but he had also reacted in anger as she had been the victim of the previous night. She could never blame him of course. Draco calmed down from the soft touch almost immediately and let himself be moved easily. He looked up at her with half lidded eyes. His normally stormy grey eyes resembled more of a calm silver pool. “Will they ever stop?” He asked quietly, voice sore. Artemis looked down at him before stroking his cheek softly, another thing that had seemed to be effective of calming the blond. “Yes, but only when you accept that they are a thing of the past. Even painful memories will fade with time.” It felt silly to say when she thought of all the painful things she had experienced in her life. But it was true none the less. 

The blond did not answer but instead placed his own hand over her hand that stroked his cheek. Artemis looked at him in surprise as he squeezed her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. “Thank you” His voice was so soft she almost didn’t hear him. The witch smiled in return then took her hand out of his grip and started to push him off herself. “Let’s get you back to bed before you freeze to death on the bathroom floor, hm?” Draco moved to a sitting position and watched as she got up on her feet. He looked at her with the same silver pool eyes as before, stretching his arm towards her to take. The witch complied and took his hand, helping him up. The blond was more steady on his feet this time and shook his head in refusal to the question of needing support. Instead, he walked over to the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth. Artemis studied him quietly while leaning on the door frame. The blond seemed more comfortable around her now which was a good sign. Since the first night he had not covered his scar in front of her either, obviously understanding the point of her showing hers. His eyes met hers in the mirror while he brushed his teeth, the blond raised his eyebrow at her in question. Artemis just smirked at him and went into the bedroom again. “Mips!” Mips showed up quickly. “Yes Misses?” “The usual please.” Mips nodded and started the tasks of changing the bed and cleaning the bathroom. Within a few minutes, the house elf was done, she was getting more and more used to it now. Draco walked over the newly changed bed and sat down on the edge. “Thank you, Mips. Again.” Artemis had to hide her grin when the little creature puffed up as an angry bird. She knew what fate laid before the young blond. “Missters! This is the fifth night in a row that Mips have to clean up after you! You have to take care of yourself! What if Misses gets sick while taking care of you, or worse! Misses doesn’t sleep because of you! I will have you know that Misses needs her sleep so that she can be a good Auror!” Mips paced back and forth in front of the blond. Draco looked to Artemis for help but she held her hands up in defeat, he was on is own on this one. Before he had time to respond Mips continued. “Missters need to think about his future! He can’t keep taking potions for the rest of his life, they are bad for you. The elves in the kitchen said so and there is so much washing to be done. Mips should have Missters do his own washing!” The elf pointed a strict finger at the blond. Artemis was trying hard not to laugh but in the end, gave up. The little elf looked at her dumbfounded for a second before pointing her finger at the witch instead. “This is no laughing matter Misses! Mips is being serious! Master would not stand for this sort of thing!” Artemis just laughed harder by the thought of Severus seeing this. Mips was right on the accord that he probably would have gotten the boy to do his own laundry and the thought seemed too humorous not to laugh at. The elf and the wizard looked at her like she was going insane. Which she probably was, with the lack of sleep she suffered from. After getting a worried look from Mips she calmed herself and bent down in front of the elf. “You have to forgive Draco this time okay? He is suffering from very bad nightmares. Remember when I had a nightmare when I was at school? What did Master usually make you do for me then?” Mips stood still thinking for a little while before her ears perked up. “Master made me make you honey tea! Will that help Missters?” Artemis nodded at her. “I bet it will, so go make a cup hm?” The elf bowed politely and disappeared. Draco was looking at Artemis with a question on his lips. The witch rolled her eyes and shushed him to get under the covers. Once the boy was settled she sat down on the end of the bed, tucking her feet underneath her for warmth. Before asking however he took a hold of the end of his cover and placed it over her knees. He mumbled something quietly and she suddenly felt a kind magic wash over her, warming her up. She smirked at him. “Practised wandless warming charms have you?” He shrugged. “Potter taught me since I seemed cold all the time he said.” He grinned to himself before turning serious. “ ‘Master’ is Severus Snape isn’t it? It has to be seeing as Mips was his elf. Why would he send her to give you honey tea? Were you that close?” Artemis bit her lip. She was regretting reminding Mips about that now, as Draco did not know exactly what kind of relationship she had with the late Potion Master. “He was a more attentive professor than most people give him credit for. But I guess you knew that.” The blond nodded, a thought seemed to cross his mind as he looked at her worriedly. “Did he heal your scars too?” He touched his chest to make sure she understood. Artemis swallowed hard, should she just tell him? The witch was given a saving grace by Mips showing up with a tray with two teacups. “Here Misses! Missters! Enjoy the honey tea, I put in lots of honey for you both!” Draco smiled at the elf while taking the cups handing one over to Artemis. “Thank you, Mips. You are our saviour, again.” The elf glowed of pride before she bowed and left leaving the room in silence. The witch took a few sips of her tea, it was horribly sweet just like Mips used to make it. She never could get the amount of honey right no matter how much she tried, some things never change. Artemis could feel the wizard’s stare while she looked into her cup. Still thinking frantically about what to answer him she took another sip. 

“Yes, he did heal them. I was lucky the first time, Peeves happened to be near and Severus was the closest Professor at the moment. I owe multiple lives to that man.” Tears threatened to fall when she thought back to that night in second grade. It was the first time the other Gryffindors had surprised her, it was an abandoned classroom on the second floor and Peeves happened to find her unconscious on the floor bleeding heavily. How the students knew that curse was something she had stopped thinking about a long time ago. In a panic, the ghost had screamed his head off to get the attention of the closes living person, which happened to be Snape. Draco looked deep in thought for several minutes, sipping his tea occasionally. The more time passed the more nervous Artemis got, her cup was now empty and without thinking about it made it float softly over to the nightstand. The soft ‘clink’ sound when it landed was the only sound in the room until the blond cleared his throat. “I tore open some closed scars by making you come here, didn’t I? I can talk to McGonagall to let you go back to London in the morning.” His look was filled with sorrow and pity, Artemis hated it and anger started to flow through her. She pointed a finger at him angrily, not unlike Mips had done. “You listen here, Draco. I will have you know that I was going to refuse this job, but in the end, I came anyway. Do you understand why? Just because I have horrible memories of this place, at least I could make you have some good ones before you left. Oh, yes another thing. Stop apologising for everything and to everyone. Don’t think I haven’t heard you! It is driving me insane. You are a Slytherin for Merlin’s sake. Be proud of it! Fuck all the nonsense that all Slytherins end up as Dark Wizards. Have you forgotten that the other Aurors here are all Slytherins? The day I see Orion Silver, the former King of Slytherin apologising for anything is the day I eat my uniform! Got it?!” She was borderline screaming at the end of her rant, panting heavily she looked straight into the eyes of the blond sitting in front of her. He was looking at her dumbfounded but nodded quickly when she sent him another angry look. Artemis untangled herself from the cover and slid down from the bed, fishing the potion bottles from her cloak she placed them down on the nightstand with a huff. Suddenly a Patronus in the shape of a dove flew into the room, landing on Artemis’s left shoulder. It opened its beak and Septimus’s voice flowed out of it. “I just got back from my round and saw that you were not in bed. Send a butterfly back to me.” The wizard sounded curious but the brunette could hear the hint of worry in his voice. The dove then vanished in wisps of smoke after the message was done. Sighing the witch manifested her own Patronus, grey eyes never leaving her palm as she blew on it and opened it to reveal the butterfly. “I’m fine. Go to sleep. See you in the morning.” The butterfly flew out of her palm and vanished out the door. Brown eyes met surprised grey ones. “Auror Zouch’s Patronus is a dove?” The witch tilted her head to one side before nodding. “Yes? Why?” Draco shook his head. “No reason, not what I had imagined that is all.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, a Slytherin having a sign of peace as a Patronus is indeed ironic. Now you seem better so I’ll take my leave now. Take the potions only if you need it. Good night.”

“Wait!” The word left his mouth before he could stop it, the Auror looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Stay.” Draco looked into the surprised eyes of the witch. He could feel the blush creep up his neck, but at that moment he could not care less. Auror Blackmoore turned fully towards him, crossing her arms in the process. “Pardon?” His mouth felt like a desert and the words got stuck in his throat. She waited patiently for him to say anything, looking at him with a calculating look in her eye. “Stay.” He croaked out again. The Auror in front of him did not move just continued to stare. Draco removed the covers off himself and set one foot on the floor but as he was going to place the other foot down it got tangled in the sheets and he fell to the floor with a grunt. Blushing even harder now he looked up at the woman before him. Auror Blackmoore had moved immediately when he hit the floor making sure he was not hurt anywhere. When she deemed him unhurt she sighed and stretched out her hand for him to take. He grabbed her hand firmly and let himself be pulled up, stumbling slightly he grabbed her shoulders for support. She flinched a bit when he squeezed the shoulder he had hit the night before. The wizard let go as if bitten. “I… I’m sorry.” They were standing so close that he could smell the perfume she used. It was a subtle flowery scent, not something he would have expected of the woman. Their eyes met then and Draco got mesmerised by the witches eyes. He knew that they were brown but he had never noticed the small specks of gold that seemed to float around, never staying still. Maybe it was the light from the candles that did it he thought. “Don’t worry about it.” Her voice was a whisper almost as if she wanted to hide the pain in her voice. It only made the wizard feel more guilty. “Can I?” He hovered his hand over her shoulder wordlessly asking for permission to touch with a look in his eye. After a few nervous heartbeats, she nodded. Draco carefully slipped the cloak and nightgown underneath down her shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the bruise that was starting to form. It was a little bigger than a snitch and it was starting to turn an ugly black colour. “Why haven’t you healed it?” He looked into her eyes again, shrugging she pulled her clothes up. “I didn’t deem it important.” The wizard frowned at her and straighten up to his full height, just like Auror Silver had done earlier in the week. He looked down on her with a serious look on his face. “But I do and since it was my fault I am taking responsibility. Understood, Artemis?” It was the first time he had used her first name but it had felt right on his tongue when he said it. The Auror looked at him with a look of understanding. She winked at him and placed her left hand over her right shoulder. A soft glow started to shine around her hand and after a few seconds, she removed it. Artemis motioned for him to pull down her clothes as he had done before. Carefully he did just that and looked surprised at the now fully healed skin. “What are you?” He mumbled fascinated then registered what he had said. Her eyes were cold when he looked into them and he could have sworn that the gold specks had grown bigger. It seemed like they were growing bigger as the seconds passed. He shivered but he could not bring himself to look away. Artemis placed a finger on the start of his scar then, dragging it slowly along to the end. Draco had stopped breathing the second he had felt her touch, blood was rushing in his ears. Nobody had touched his Sectumsempra scar before and it felt different from when he did it. Suddenly he felt extremely exposed in front of the witch even though this was not the first time she had seen him shirtless. “You really were lucky.” Her voice was still a whisper but it was somewhat different. Colder, distant, but it did not scare him. On the contrary, it made him even more fascinated. Swallowing down his cowardice he placed his index finger on her heart. “Can I see that again?” He was sure the gold was spreading now, it was now more gold than brown in her eyes. She was giving him a curious look before she pulled down the nightgown enough to make the brand come to view. Draco started to trace it as she had done with his scar, goosebumps were erupting over her skin as he went. It felt different than what he thought, it was sunken down into her skin like something had been pushed into it and it was smooth to the touch. Not the usual rough skin that scars usually were. It sent shivers down his spine. The raven seemed to study him as he touched it and he wondered if her Master could feel it, if she even had one. He looked into her eyes again as he retreated his hand. They were still looking at him curiously and he shivered again. “You should get back into bed, Draco.” The way she said his name sounded familiar in his ears. It sounded just like the way his father had said it when he wanted him to do something without making it sound like an order in front of guests. But in reality, it really was one and it would not end well for him if he did not listen. But it was not the way the Auror said his name usually, which was more softly, caring. Draco somehow got his feet to move as he climbed back into bed and jumped slightly when a cold hand was placed on his forehead. “Seems like you have a slight fever. You should take the Dreamless Sleep. I’ll stay, I promise.” He did not feel like he had a fever, his head was a little fuzzy but that was probably because of the late hour of the night. A potion bottle was placed on his lips and he drank it down without much thought. The last thing he saw before the world went dark was a pair of golden eyes looking at him from the chair in the corner of the room. 

Harry was sitting cross-legged in his bed looking at the different names walking around the castle on the Marauder Map. It had become a routine over the last couple of weeks, somehow it calmed him down knowing that his friends were located in their rooms safe and sound. It was different having his own room after sharing it with the other boys for so many years. He actually missed Ron’s snoring now, something he would never say to the other boy of course. Neville had come by after the first week and given him a plant, to keep him company he had said. It now stood on his desk and had started to crawl over it. The other Gryffindors had promised it was not a dangerous one and just to snip some of the vines off if they got too long but Harry didn’t have to heart to do it. He kind of liked it that way. The raven head frowned when he saw the name of Auror Blackmoore move from the Auror office and what he assumed was towards the dungeons. She had done so every night since she got here. He had asked Malfoy of it one day but the blond had just dodged the question. Harry assumed the other suffered from nightmares as they all did but it had been over a year already and he wondered if the blonde had it worse than most. Voldemort himself had lived in his house after all. He followed the nameplate of the Auror as it entered the Slytherin common room and up to what had to be Malfoy’s room. This was always the interesting part, some nights she had stayed longer than others. She walked over to where Malfoy’s nameplate was located which Harry had deduced had to be the bathroom seeing as all of the rooms they were in were identical, at least that is what he thought. He leaned his head in his hand while he watched the names stay almost on top of each other. They had to be really close to each other he thought. A blush crept over his cheeks as his mind drifted to the possibilities of what they could be doing. Some time passed as he checked what other people were doing around the castle. Auror Zouch was walking down the hall of the second floor, probably finishing his round for the night. It was reassuring that they were doing it, but somehow Harry thought it was just for show. He thought it was weird of McGonagall to suddenly announce that some Aurors were coming to stay at the school almost a month after the year had started. On top of it all to bring all Senior Aurors and some of the best in their fields even seemed quite excessive to Harry. Of course, the rumour of Malfoy getting one of them as a protector had spread around the school like Fiendfyre. Again Malfoy had shrugged all questions about it off, but in the end, everyone had accepted it. Harry looked back at the nameplates of Auror Blackmoore and Malfoy again, they seemed to have moved into the bedroom. The raven head frowned yet again when the Auror seemed to be leaving but walked back again. They stood incredibly close to each other for a long time before they moved apart. The wizard took out his wand and cast a Tempus. It showed that it was just past five in the morning. She had never been there this long before. Suddenly her nameplate disappeared from Malfoy’s room. Harry looked confused at the map as he turned it over and looked around for the Auror’s name. In the end, he found it back in the Aurors’ office, frowning he thought about how she had gotten there so fast. The office was on the third floor and he had been staring at her name all along. Malfoy was still in his room he noted, so the map was not wrong there. Raising his eyebrow in surprise Auror Blackmoore’s name vanished from the Aurors’ office again, quickly Harry turned the map over to the dungeons again and saw it reappear in Malfoy’s room. It was like the woman was Apparating inside the castle. But that was not possible, was it? The raven head took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He had to ask Hermione about that in the morning, it would get him a long lecture probably but it was easier than to look it up on his own. He pointed his wand at the map. “Mischief managed.”


	8. Nightmares and Patronuses

The blond woke up by the sound of something thrashing around inside his room, he lay completely still with his eyes closed listening to the intruder. He figured out that it came from the chair that was placed in the corner of the room, the squeaking noises from the leather gave it away. Draco opened his eyes a peek just so he could see what was happening. It appeared that it was closer to noon, at least from what he could gather from the light that came from the window into the lake. When he saw that it was Auror Blackmoore writhing around in the chair in what seemed like pain he was wide awake. Quickly he looked around the room for any sign of otherwise danger, someone cursing her perhaps, but there was only them. The Slytherin got himself free from the bedsheets and quickly walked over to the woman. For once he was too preoccupied to notice the cold floor sending shivers up his spine. Her movement in sleep were jagged and harsh like she was trying to free her self from being bound. Sounds of pain kept rolling off her lips as her head moved from side to side in a desperate attempt to get away from something. Draco carefully touched her shoulder, shaking her slightly. “Auror Blackmoore?”. Her eyes opened in a flash and he was glared at with intense golden eyes. He jumped back in response raising his arms in a defence position by reflex. For a second nothing happened and the blond thought for a second that he might be dreaming it all when she suddenly lunged out of the chair like a kneazle, only more deadly looking. The wizard fell hard on his back on the floor making him lose his breath for a second, with the witch now sitting on top of him looking like a feral beast. The gold eyes he now saw were different from the ones he saw last night, these were the eyes of a monster and it terrified him. Draco took a chance and reached for the Reject rune on his right arm but his hand got slapped away by the Auror. His eyes widen in fear as she curled her fingers around his neck, slowly squeezing. The blond started to try and pry her hands away from his neck but her grip was not letting go, it only made her press harder. “P… Please… A… Art… Artemis… W... wake up!” His vision was slowly leaving him as black dots were shaping in front of him. The woman on top of him didn’t seem to hear him at all as she did not stop what she was doing. Instead, she made a growl and banged his head against the floor making his vision swim even more. As he was accepting that this might be the end his bedroom door was blown open and he could faintly see a person standing in the doorway. By the shape of the person, it had to be one of the Aurors or a Professor. “Blackmoore! Let him go!” He knew that voice he thought in a daze. The witch’s focus was shifted to the intruder and the grip she had on him slacked somewhat. “Depulso!” He could suddenly breathe again as the woman on top of him got sent forcefully across the room hitting the bathroom door. Draco quickly sat up coughing, tears running down his face in the process. Through the tears, he saw that his saviour was Auror Thompson and he was now running towards Auror Blackmoore. “Malfoy! Close the door!” The blond quickly got to his feet to do as he was told, on shaking legs he ran towards the door to slam it shut, then proceeded to lean on it for support. The male Auror was now sitting on top of the witch holding her arms above her head with his left hand and clearly searching for something inside his robe with the other. The brunette was desperately trying to get free from his grip as she started to kick his back to get him off. The animal sounds were getting even more feral now, it was like seeing a person transform into a werewolf but being stuck in-between the human and the wolf. “Fucking damn it! Artemis you have to wake up! Listen to me, it’s Cyril!” Clearly not finding what he was looking for the man used both of his hands to hold her still. Draco looked at the male Auror wide eyed as his uniform started to slice apart. Small cuts were showing up everywhere on his body drawing blood from beneath the uniform. The man seemed to not pay them any mind as he continued to try getting through to the woman underneath him. Without breaking eye contact with the witch, the male Auror shouted yet another order to him. “Malfoy! Take my wand out of my holster, left side!” Draco hesitated only for a second before running over to the pair on the floor. The second he touched that wand someone at the Ministry would be notified, but hopefully, this was all going to get explained later. The blond found the wand almost immediately and felt the familiar rush of magic run through him when he grabbed a hold of it. Auror Thompson looked at him then with a serious face, now struggling to keep her down. “Aim Aguamenti straight at her face, make it as cold as you can. Got it?” The blond nodded and aimed at the witch’s face. He hoped that she would forgive him later. “Aguamenti!” A jet of clean water shot out of the wand and hit her straight in the face. She started to struggle even more then and more cuts appeared around Auror Thompson’s body. “Keep going!” Draco gave the man a once over with his eyes, some of the cuts were bleeding quite badly now and drops of blood were seen on the floor. “Sir! You’re bleeding!” “Never mind that! Keep going I said!” After what seemed like a decade the woman finally started to stop her struggling, the hissing and growling turned to coughing and what seemed like drowning noises.

Auror Thompson gave him a signal to stop with the water and he dropped the wand to the floor. Auror Blackmoore was now laying with her eyes closed in a pool of water, which was slowly spreading across the bedroom floor. The blood from the male Auror mixing with it making it a shade of sickening red. Draco held his breath in expectation of what was going to happened next. Auror Thompson was breathing heavily, exhausted from holding her still for so long, however long that had been because Draco had no idea how much time had actually passed. The other male carefully placed his forehead on hers while whispering her name softly. Her eyes fluttered open and Draco let out the breath he was holding in relief to see they were once again brown. “C… Cyril?” Her voice was raw, not unlike how his own had been the night before. Auror Thompson smiled at her. “Welcome back, Artemis.” She looked confused at him for a second before she seemed to notice the state he was in. He had cuts all over his body, not even his face had been spared as he had a slice running over his cheek which was bleeding heavily. His uniform was filled with cuts all over, but it seemed that not all of them had gotten through to the skin, those that had, however, were bleeding terribly. “Cyril! Why did you-”. The wizard stopped her from talking by placing a hand in front of her mouth. “Listen here Artemis, remember what I told you? I meant every word of it, so this time I protected you, from yourself.” Draco felt that he was intruding as the male Auror shifted himself off the woman and pulled her into his lap holding her close. Now that the Auror was sitting the blond could clearly see all the cuts in the uniform. There was one directly over his chest which seemed to have been placed there on purpose rather than coincidence. The young wizard then noticed the tattoo that Loftwind had talked about earlier and studied it slightly puzzled. It was a ‘Jack’ card, but instead of holding the usual wand in his hand, there was a butterfly placed on his finger. The wings fluttered hastily from time to time looking like it was going to fly away at any moment. With sudden realisation, he remembered that Auror Blackmoore’s Patronus was a butterfly and wondered if there was a connection. He was brought out of his thoughts when the witch looked up at him as if she just realised that he was there. “Draco! Are you alright?” He was about to answer when his eyes met Auror Thompson. They clearly told him to say that he was fine, so he nodded. “I am fine, Artemis. Are you ok?” He got a raised eyebrow as a reaction for the use of her first name from the man and he smirked back at him slightly. “Yes. I…” Auror Thompson tightened his grip on her. “It’s fine now. Just breathe.” She nodded meekly at him before her eyes widened again. “Where is Orion?” The man's expression turned sour again but he let it quickly drop. “I’ll get him here. My wand please Mr Malfoy.” Not daring to touch it again Draco kicked it carefully towards the man on the floor. It rolled in a straight line towards him and he grabbed it with ease. “Expecto Patronum" A small chameleon appeared on the floor in front of them. Waiting patiently for the message it was to deliver. “Silver, I found her. Malfoy’s room.” After the message was received the little creature ran hastily across the floor and up the wall only to disappear through the ceiling. “How long do you think it will take him to get here? Anyone want to bet?” Auror Thompson chuckled, then slightly wincing from one of the cuts. The witch looked at him with worry. “Cyril we need to get you the Hospital Wing.” Draco nodded in agreement. “It looks quite bad Sir.” The man waved them both off while shaking his head. “I’ve been through worse. Let’s wait for Silver, hm? You should put on some clothes Mr Malfoy unless you want someone to see.” He pointed to the blond’s chest, which made Draco realise that he was still shirtless from yesterday. Nodding in agreement he went to get a shirt and pulled it over his head. Just then a commotion could be heard outside of the bedroom door and Auror Silver entered looking ready to kill someone. He must have been close to the dungeon when the Patronus found him. His eyes immediately landed on the pair on the floor and his eyes turned to solid ice. Draco could see several curious Slytherins behind him and swallowed. This was going to spread fast around the school. He decided that the best action was closing the door as soon as the Auror entered, which he did. To the disappointment of those outside. “Thompson. What happened?” The men stared at each other coldly, before the man on the floor answers. “Nightmare. Pretty bad one, but I got her out of it. No harm done.” Draco and Auror Blackmoore started to protest at the same time, in the end, the woman shouted the loudest. “Idiot! You’re hurt! We need to get you to the Hospital Wing right now!” She turned her attention to Auror Silver. “So either you help me get him there or move out of the way. We can talk about this back at the office.”

Artemis’s head was a mess, images of things that might have happened or not happened were still swimming behind her eyes. She was also dripping wet and was starting to shiver badly. But seeing her friend in this state made her force herself to take action to get him to the Healer. There was also the concern of Draco, she had no choice now but to sit him down and at least tell him some details or the fear she had probably put in the boy was not to be forgiven. Struggling to get out of his tight grip she got herself to a standing position only to grip Cyril’s arm and started to drag him to his feet. The man stumbled a bit, but she was surprised that Draco came over to them and supported him on the other side of her. “We need an excuse for dragging you out of this room in that state.” Cyril smirked at him. “Isn’t that your job Silver?” His laugh was a bit wheezy as it was clear he was struggling to keep himself conscious. The older blond frowned at him in return. “Orion, please just figure something out, say it was an attack on Draco and it failed. Cyril was the one that took it instead. Just move out of the way before I make you.” Orion looked like he was thinking hard for a few seconds before sighing, he shrugged off his uniform robe and went over to Cyril, carefully wrapping it around his shoulders to hide most of the cuts. “If someone asked this was a cutting curse, understand?” He looked straight at Draco while he said it, the boy nodded hastily in understanding. Satisfied the man nodded and opened the bedroom door. The hallway was filled with curious students as Artemis had feared. But with one quick cold order from Orion, they stepped aside. “Move. All of you.” With the help of Draco, they managed to help Cyril out of the room and down the stairs to the common room where Draco’s friends were waiting impatiently. Parkinson ran towards her friend with teary eyes. “Draco! What happened?!” The blond just shrugged off the question. “I’ll tell you later, I need to help Auror Thompson to the Hospital Wing. I’m fine Pansy.” Artemis looked over her shoulder to the girl who was left standing in the common room as the wall closed behind them, she looked lost which the brunette could understand. With Orion making up the front and barking to students to move the route to the Hospital Wing went smoothly. They only got stopped by Potter and his friends when they reached the second floor. Confusion was evident in the raven head’s eyes, but again Draco promised them to tell them later. Cyril was barely conscious when they finally arrived and Madam Pomfrey quickly got him into a bed and started the healing process. In the meantime, she ordered Artemis to go and dry herself properly and put on some clothes. She was exhausted so for once she did as she was told after getting a confirming nod from Orion that he would take care of Draco in the meantime. Not wanting to be spotted walking through the castle again the way she looked she made sure no one was around in the hallway before Apparating straight into their private bedroom. As soon as her feet touched the icy floor she ran towards the bathroom to throw up. Memories from what she had just done in the last couple of hours came flooding back to her. Pictures of her strangling the young Malfoy, hitting Cyril, making cuts appear on his body, the feeling of wanting to kill washing over her in waves. The witch started to sob loudly as tears streamed down her face. She thought that the bond was going to stop this from happening, what use was it if it could not even stop her from doing this. In desperation, she started to claw at the branding but it did nothing, the claw marks immediately vanished leaving it just as clean as it had been which only made her sob even louder. Artemis did not hear the door to the bathroom opening and jumped when someone said her name. “Artemis?” The witch looked up at what had been Septimus with cloudy eyes. The man knelt down in front of her. “What happened? We have been looking for you for hours already. Why did you cut the bond this time?” His voice was soft like he was speaking to a child and his sky blue eyes showed only worry. The witch’s eyes widened when he said that she had cut the bond, she must have done it in her sleep by accident. She had Apparated back to the bedroom after promising Draco to stay but she could not remember why she had done it. Tears still flowing down her cheeks she reached for Septimus who had seated himself fully on the floor, leaning his back against the wall spreading his legs so she could sit between them securely. When she was seated as comfortably as possible he carefully patted her head before speaking. “Tell me.” Artemis sobbed between sentences as she told him what she could remember. He never interrupted her, only made humming sounds to tell her that he was listening seriously. Somehow she missed when he had summoned his Patronus and only registered it when it was sitting on her shoulder, snuggling her cheek. The dove purred happily when it got a message to deliver to Orion and took flight quickly. Septimus hugged her again softly. “Just breathe. Cyril has been through much worse you know that. Remember that case back in 96’? He looked atrocious when he came back and even so became fully healed after a short time. Don’t worry Artemis, he is strong. He won't back down easy.” Septimus words eased her little by little until there were only silent tears left.

Orion looked at his friend laying on the hospital bed, the wounds were not as serious as they had feared. Some of the wounds had been deep but they were not life-threatening and Madam Pomfrey had managed to heal them up with ease. The Healer had not asked questions about the situation, it was probably the fact that they were Aurors and not students that made her not do it Orion thought. The blond shifted his attention to the young Malfoy who had been seated in a vacant bed not far off, the boy seemed deep in thought. Not that that was a weird thing from what he had just witnessed. The older Slytherin sighed, this was getting more complicated by the day. Not that he ever thought coming back here was going to be a walk in the park in the first place. He could feel Artemis struggling on the other side of the now opened bond, waves of sorrow and guilt washed over him. Orion closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm her down to the best of his abilities. He had been woken rudely when she had popped into the bedroom at the early hour saying she was sleeping somewhere else and without explanation disappeared again. He had only been half awake at the time and not fully understood what she meant. Septimus had woken him up closer to ten and asked if he knew where she was. Seeing as it was a Sunday they got a day off from their Auror duties and could sleep in if they so wished. The shorter man had thought it weird that her shoes had been gone and checked the bed, only to see that she was not there. Even though he had gotten a Patronus from her stating that they would see each other in the morning. Orion had felt his blood freeze when he realised that she had shut him out again. He had no way of knowing where she was.

The blond was at the cemetery when he had gotten Cyril’s Patronus, he had never run so fast in his life. On every step, he had prayed that she was ok and nothing had happened in the young Malfoy’s room. If something happened to the boy it would be on her head. Something she would never let go. He had marched straight into the Slytherin common room and walked the stairs up to the boys’ room. He didn’t know which room Malfoy was in so he barked at some students to tell him. Finally, some third years had pointed him to the last door in the hallway. His behaviour, of course, attracted a lot of attention among the students and he quickly got a following trailing behind him. All curious what the Auror wanted with the boy. Everything was momentarily forgotten however when he saw Artemis sitting in Cyril’s embrace on the floor, the man looking like he had been in a fight with a Griffin and lost. The jealousy was almost making him sick to his stomach but he somehow managed to keep it down. Orion opened his eyes again when he felt that his partner was more stable. Suddenly a dove came flying in. It did a couple of circles around his head before landing on his outstretched hand. “I’m with Artemis in the office bathroom. We will be fine for a while, take care of the others first.” Septimus voice was like a whisper but it was calm and collected. It calmed Orion as well knowing that she was not alone and he pushed aside the jealousy once again. His eyes met Malfoy’s as the bird vanished into wisps of smoke. “Is she alright Sir?” The young Slytherin's voice trembled a little as he talked. Orion looked him over once more and suddenly noticed small bruise marks started to form around his neck. The man knew very well what those were. He peeked over to Madam Pomfrey that was still fretting over Cyril and drew the curtains around the bed discreetly. The blond looked at him confused then in slight fear when Orion took out his wand and pointed at him. “Sit still Mr Malfoy.” The boy froze like a statue as the older man said a few healing spells and watched the bruises slowly vanish. Malfoy touched his neck in surprise and looked up at him with newfound determination. “She didn’t mean it. She wasn’t herself somehow.” Orion sighed as he sat down on the bed, casting a Muffliato spell. “Listen, Mr Malfoy. Did something happen prior to this morning? Did she seem odd somehow before this?” The boy shook his head but not daring to look at him. “No, Sir.” The Auror clicked his tongue in response. “I see. How are you getting along with her then, if I may ask?” Orion did not look at him this time and started to study the floor instead, the stones showing the wear over time. “I trust her, Sir. I believe she never meant to hurt me, but then again we are even now.” The older blond raised his eyebrow in question. “Even?” Malfoy nodded slowly then took a deep breath. “I hit her the other night. It was after a nightmare and she surprised me. I…” The boy looked down again, shaking slightly. For once feeling pity towards him, Orion petted him on the shoulder. “She doesn’t blame you, Mr Malfoy. You can trust me on that.” The young Slytherin took another deep breath while sitting up straight, he looked at Orion with a look that told him that he believed him. The older blond clicked his tongue again. “Now, this is going to be difficult to explain to McGonagall. You have no problem with lying to that woman I hope?” He smirked at Malfoy then, the other mimicking the smirk in return. “To that bint? Never.” Orion laughed at the same time as the curtains was pulled aside. A bandaged Cyril stood in front of them with a question on his face. The man looked far better than he had been earlier, the colour had come back to his cheeks and most of the cuts had been healed. Only the deepest needed some more time and were bandaged up it seemed. “Talking behind people’s back, are we? How Slytherin of you both.” Orion could not stop the eye roll that he gave Cyril then. “She let you go then finally?” The auburn haired man nodded. “Yes and let’s go before she changes her mind. I really don’t want to be stuck here for the rest of the day.” All of them started to make their way towards the door in silence before Madam Pomfrey shouted Malfoy’s name loudly. “Mr Malfoy! I need to give you a quick once over before you leave! Come back here!” Orion turned to look at her with his most charming smile. “No need Madam Pomfrey, I did it while you took care of Auror Thompson. He is perfectly fine. Sorry to bother you so suddenly.” The three Slytherins hurriedly made their escape before the Healer could say anything else.

“Jack, go back to the office. I will follow Mr Malfoy back to his dorm and look at the damages to it. We need to make a plausible scenario about what happened in there.” Orion told Cyril quietly when the door to the Hospital Wing closed behind them. There were some students walking along the halls, some of them looked at them strangely as they passed. The tall blond peeked a look at Malfoy and understood the uncomfortable aura that the boy gave off. He was still in his pyjamas bottoms, with one of his school shirts thrown over himself, some buttons not even buttoned correctly. Orion motioned to Cyril to give his cloak back so that he could give it to the young blond instead. The other Auror slid it off of himself neatly giving it to him. Without saying anything he placed the piece of clothing over the boy's shoulders. “Let’s go Mr Malfoy.” He patted Malfoy on the back and motioned him to start walking ahead. More students were staring now, but Orion paid them no mind. He was used to the staring, being partners with Artemis for so long had cured that anxiety a long time ago. On a good day, he might get away with just a few ugly looks thrown his way at the Ministry. There were a lot of people who wanted the witch to be punished for her previous mistakes even to this day, even though she had been proved innocent in most of the cases. The keyword being ‘most’. While they walked Orion got reminded about a similar situation when he had been a seventh year. It was a few weeks after the big ‘incident’, the Gryffindors had, of course, spread rumours about what had happened in that classroom. The blond had not dared to leave the then young girl alone no matter where she went and they usually met up after every class. He had met her outside one of the greenhouses after the Gryffindors had finished Herbology. Feeling brave he had taken her hand in his and started the walk up to the castle knowing all the surprised looks that were thrown at them. Artemis had been embarrassed and said that they were only going to stare more because of it. He still remembered what he told her. Orion looked at Malfoy next to him, the boy looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him so he leaned a little closer to him before whispering. “Look in front of you with your head held high and walk like you are Royalty in your own castle.” Malfoy looked at him surprise before realising what he meant and straightened his back so he became his full height and looked ahead with determination. Orion had to smirk at him before doing the same. People were still staring, yes, but it was now more in wonder than malice. The pair walked in silence down to the dungeons only to find the common room in chaos. People had now gotten wind that something had happened in Malfoy’s room and were trying to get a peek inside at the scene. A high pitched scream could be heard from the boys quarters followed by something that sounded like hexes being fired. Orion just managed to grab the end of his own cloak as Malfoy was about to run towards the stairs. Annoyed he looked back at him. “That has to be Pansy. We need to hurry.” “I’m sure she will be fine Mr Malfoy. Come now, calm and collected. Follow me.” As he passed the younger male he could hear him mumble to himself. “It’s not her I’m worried about.” Orion started to calmly wade himself through the crowd of students piling in the stairs, pushing away the ones that were directly in his way with minimal force making sure that Malfoy was following close behind. He raised his eyebrow in surprise when a wand was pointed at him when he was about the enter the bedroom. “Back off I said! Don’t make me tell you all again!” Malfoy pushed past him and grabbed the tip of Parkinson’s wand quickly forcing her to lower it. “Pansy! That is Auror Silver! Calm down!” The girl blinked at him slowly a couple of times before realising what she had almost done. She put her wand away with haste. “I am so sorry Auror Silver! I have been stopping other people from entering the room since you left earlier. These people are bloody savages!” She gave everyone behind Orion a cold look. Malfoy gave her a concerned look. “Where is Blaise?” “After you didn’t come back again he said he was going to run up to the Aurors’ office and get his brother to help us. He should be back any second now if he had found him.” This was good Orion thought to himself. With Zacharias here, things could be held under more control. He turned around with a cold glare.

“You all have five seconds to leave this place before I alert the Headmistress of your behaviour and give all of you detention and house points reductions. One.” Most of the student left immediately, hurrying down the stairs again like their life depended on it. “Two.” Some of the little older students left as well, realising he was serious. “Three.” His eyes met a boy that was probably a fifth or sixth year if he were to guess, he had not moved so far and if Orion was right the people around him were his friends. If one moved, they all did. “Four.” He took a step out of the room now, reaching for his wand. With that gesture, the rest of the students dispersed just as quickly as the first wave. Orion huffed to himself and was glad that he was not a teacher. The Slytherin house would be in the minus number of house points by now if it was up to him. “Ooo, King! So you are the reason there was a stampede of bodies that came down the stairs heh?” Zacharias was walking up the stairs with his little brother trailing behind. The blond nodded at the dark man. “Correct. Good timing.” The older Zabini grinned at him and brushed past him into the bedroom. He whistled in surprise when he saw the state of the room. “Wow, someone been murdered here or what?” Parkinson slapped the man on the arm in anger making the man in question look at her in surprise. “This is not the time for jokes! Draco could have been dead by now!” Stubborn tears were clinging to the girl's eyes as Orion looked at the younger Zabini. “Mr Zabini if you could take Miss Parkinson down to the common room please. I’ll send down Mr Malfoy to you shortly.” The young Zabini nodded and carefully took a hold of Parkinson’s shoulders. “Come on Pans’, let’s wait downstairs.” He started to drag the girl in the direction of the door when she started to struggle against him. “No! I am not leaving! I want to know what happened!” Malfoy looked at his friend strictly. “Do as you’re told Parkinson. Go with Zabini.” The last name treatment seemed to do the trick as the girl nodded sombrely at her friend and she let herself be dragged from the room. Orion closed the door behind them softly followed by Zacharias putting some curses and wards on it just for insurance.

Zacharias crossed his arms as he looked at Orion with a raised eyebrow. “Alright, so what happened?” Orion ignored his question by retorting with one of his own. “How is Artemis?” The darker man looked at him with what seemed like annoyance. “A mess. Ace is taking care of her. You should go to her you know. She needs you.” Orion cleared his throat pointing his finger towards Malfoy, who had taken the opportunity to change his clothes swiftly. He was now in the process of buttoning his shirt up correctly. Orion’s cloak was laid neatly on his bed. Zacharias rolled his eyes. “I don’t think the boy is blind, King. It’s pretty obvious you care about her.” If he could he would have sent a stinging hex towards the darker man. The young Malfoy looked up at them both but he said nothing to either of them, it seemed he was patiently waiting for what was happening next. “So going to tell me what happened?” Zacharias asked again, this time not masking his annoyance. “Artemis spent the night in this room. She got one of her nightmares, one of the worst ones it seemed. Had it not been for Cyril I’m afraid that there would be one less Malfoy with us.” The curse breaker nodded in understanding as he took out his wand. “Well time to clean up this mess then, but what do we do about him?” He pointed his wand lazily over to Malfoy. The boy froze were he stood, anticipating danger. Orion looked over at him. “Listen, Mr Malfoy, I need to take the memory of this and alter it if we are to show it to McGonagall. Which we most likely will have to do. The only thing you need to do is confirm that they are true. Understood?” The young Slytherin nodded. Zacharias grinned like a wolf then and took a small vial from his cloak. He stepped up the boy and placed his wand to his temple, mumbling the incantation and pulling the memory from Malfoy’s head. Placing the string in the vial carefully, hastily corking it and putting it in his pocket. “Thank you for your deposit, Mr Malfoy. Go down to your friends now hm?” Zacharias peeked over his shoulder to Orion who nodded back at him. The young blond looked at them both before walking in long steps to the door, slipping out carefully.

After the young blond had left the room Zacharias swept the room with his eyes. The dark man went over to the big puddle by the bathroom door to study it. “Good thing that Cyril can take a beating heh King? Seems like he lost a lot of blood in this ordeal.” Orion walked up to him to take a closer look a the puddle himself. It had turned a sickly pink colour and was moving in patterns across the floor. The blond noted that there were several places on the floor that was turning a rust red, evidence of blood that had started to stain the old wood. Suddenly Orion noticed something that seemed like claw marks on part of the floor by the door. He frowned slightly while taking a closer look. “Is that claw marks?” Zacharias turned to take a look himself and both of the men frowned at each other. “Has she always had claws?” Orion’s mind was racing, was the demon somehow evolving? He wasn’t sure but this was something that hopefully the memories of the young Malfoy could answer for them. He looked at Zacharias with a serious look. “It seems we need to alter those memories more than I thought. This can not get out to the public, Merlin knows what will happen to her if it gets out.” The other Auror nodded in agreement. “You should go back to the office and take care of Artemis, I will clean up here.” Orion was about to protest but the look that his friend sent him changed his mind. “Fine.” Zacharias smirked at him while he waved him out the door, the blond rolled his eyes at his antics. The blond saw that the three younger Slytherins were still sitting in the common room talking. They were all huddled together on the sofa by the fire. Once again he was reminded of his school days. There was one time where he had given Artemis one of his spare Slytherin ties and had somehow managed to sneak her into the Slytherin house with the rest of them. The group had spent the entire night playing various games, Snape had not been happy when he found out the next morning. Orion grinned when he thought about the lecture they had gotten, but at the same time, he remembered fondly the smile the late Professor had given them later. “Auror Silver?” The blond was brought back to the present by Malfoy’s question. He looked at the three people in front of him with a slight smile. “I am going back to the office, Auror Zabini is staying behind to do clean up.” Not bothering to wait for an answer the man strode out of his old House. When he had started to think of Artemis he was reminded of the woman that was now blaming herself in the office. The others were right, he should step up and do what was expected of him. He was the one who had made the choice of bonding with her all those years ago and she needed him now more than ever. It was time to be the man he was supposed to be.


	9. Lake of emotions

A chilly breeze was blowing across the grounds while Artemis and Septimus were making their way towards the lake. The air was getting colder now that they were at the beginning of October. There was a light touch of rain in the air which seemed to have kept everyone else inside. Septimus had convinced the brunette that it was best to leave the castle for a little while. Reluctantly she had agreed so after a change of clothes and some freshening up they had been on their way. Artemis’s hands had not stopped shaking and she could still feel the boy’s pulse slowly fade underneath her fingers. The nausea was also coming and going in waves and she silently hoped that Orion was not paying too close attention to her just now. Septimus was walking a few steps in front of her in silence, leading the way. Where they were going she had no interest of knowing, it was not important, all she could do was try to keep her breathing under control. Suddenly the man in front of her stopped, Artemis almost bumped into him before catching herself in the last second. Puzzled she looked at her surroundings, they were standing underneath a big tree. The leaves were a mix of red and yellow and it stretched tall towards the heavens, the base of the tree was big enough for two people to lean their backs against side by side. The male Auror took a handkerchief out of his pocket and made it bigger with a flick of his wand, laying it flat on the ground. Grinning he bowed at her in the same royal manner he had done when they were younger. He reached out his hand for her to take with a glint in his eye. “My Prince. It would be my pleasure if you would keep me company on this fine day.” Despite herself, Artemis found herself giggling at the other Auror’s antics. She took his hand and let herself be led down on the blanket. He sat down next to her leaning his back against the tree. Septimus took out his wand again and put up a privacy ward to not being stared at if some students were finding themselves outside. Artemis studied him as he, in turn, was studying the lake in front of them. His dark blond hair was a mess from the wind blowing it into weird angles. The wizard had been sitting with her on the bathroom floor for what seemed like hours, calming her down and reassuring her that everything was going to be fine. 

He never forced her to say anything, always letting her talk in her own pace. This was one of the big differences between him and the other men of their group. Even though the man was one of the best information gatherers in the country he never forced information out of anyone. There was just something about him that made people talk of their own accord. Zacharias was once convinced that the man was part veela, but the wizard himself had just laughed at the idea. Artemis was not sure herself, but she had met a few veela over the course of her career and had easily figured out that they were one. Takes a beast to know one she supposed. Septimus’s sky blue eyes met her brown ones then, a small smile was faint on his lips. “What are you looking at me for?” She shook her head. “No particular reason. Seen the giant squid yet?” The brunette turned her head to look at the lake. “No, he is lazy today it seems. Must be the weather.” They sat there in silence for a while, keeping their thoughts to themselves until Septimus spoke up again. “Do you remember the first day we met?” Artemis was about to laugh at the stupid question but decided to play along. This man never asked unnecessary questions after all. “Of course. The potion classroom in seventh year.” The man laughed softly, still looking at the lake. “We actually met earlier than that. But I don’t judge your for not remembering.” Artemis looked at him in surprise, she did not remember meeting Septimus at an earlier time than that. The brunette wracked her brain to see if there was any information she could find but found none. “When?” His eyes were filled with humour as they met hers. “In the library actually, earlier in the year. You were trying to place a book on a shelf that was too high for you. I placed it in the correct spot for you. I always found that peculiar.” He laughed again before continuing. “You looked at me like I was a deadly spider and ran away without saying anything.” Artemis blushed, she did not remember at all but it did sound like something she would do back then. She had gotten so used to people shunning her and sending hexes her way that in response to kindness she had chosen to run away. “I shall admit that I did see you from time to time after that, but I never approached you. I regret that now, I’ve always wondered if things would have been different if I had.” Artemis looked at him with a smile, it was rare of the man to tell something personal like that to her, it made her feel special in a way. Then she had to laugh herself. “You never got anyone to look into me? It would have taken you maybe a couple of hours, I was quite famous in a way.” Septimus grinned at her. “If I tried to find information about everyone I found slightly interesting I would not even have time to go to class back then. And seems like you are getting new company.” Septimus pointed towards the little road they had come down, where Orion was approaching them in a determined manner. “Seems that is my cue to leave, Prince. The Ace is nothing compared to the King after all.” The witch smirked at him mischievously. “That depends on the game you are playing.” The dark blond haired man's eyes glinted with similar mischief as he got to his feet and gave a little bow to her before he started to head towards the road Orion was coming down. She laughed at him as she watched him go. The brunette studied the two men while they greeted each other, Septimus giving Orion an update no doubt. On the surface they were not so different, both blond, both blue eyed, Ace only slightly shorter than the King but their personalities could not be more different. While the King was loud and commanding the Ace was quiet and calculating. In all these years the brunette had rarely seen Septimus outside of his office to do fieldwork so when he showed up personally on a scene it was like a thick blanket of gravity was placed over those that were present. 

Orion was quickly approaching where she was sitting, while she turned her attention towards the lake again. She squinted as she thought she saw the giant squid peek out from the lake's surface. The blond man sat down next to her and the silence that followed was not as awkward as it had been previously, the witch's rage had calmed down now and it felt like she could listen to what he had to say. Even though the brunette still did not understand why he had decided to do what the late potion master had asked of him, she could feel that the wizard was pulsing of guilt. They were not quite touching but they did not have to because for the first time in several days Artemis opened the bond fully on her end. Their emotions floated back and forth between them, both sending everything they were trying to say but could not. From the corner of her eye, the brunette could see the blond leaning on the tree with his eyes closed. He let out a sigh of relief and she had to smile when she could actually tell that it was relief. Even though she felt guilty for keeping the bond partially or fully closed for so long she felt that it was justified. He took a hold of her hand unexpectedly and intertwined their fingers. “Your hands are cold.” The brunette chuckled. “Aren’t they always?” Ice blue eyes looked at her then and no matter how many years that passed the mans eyes never stopped mesmerising her. Even though they were the colour of ice they still were warm and filled with emotions while he frowned slightly at her comment. “Have you forgiven me?” Orion’s voice turned soft, almost like a child that had done something wrong without understanding the consequences of his actions. Artemis looked out towards the lake again, if she were to be honest with herself she probably would not forgive him for a long time. But right now she did not have the energy anymore to continue on the same road as before. She had almost killed someone today, again. The witch needed the blond to keep her in check, it was the only way for her to stay sane. What happened today could never happen again. “No, but I am willing to put it behind us, for now at least and I’m sorry for closing the bond, I know it makes you feel uncomfortable.” Orion sat up slightly, moving closer to her making their shoulders touch. He grabbed her face gently with one hand and made her look at him again. “You don’t have to be sorry for my mistakes.” His thumb was stroking her cheek gently, making the demon purr in happiness from the contact. A low chuckle came from the man in front of her. “It’s been ten years and you still react the same way to my touch. I have to say I am honoured.” Had it not been for the fact that she now felt much better than she had in days the brunette would have pulled away from him. Instead, she let herself be embraced by his touch, only focusing on that closing her eyes in the process. It had been a long time since they did this. Just the two of them, touching in the simplest of ways.

Artemis was pulled back to earth when she felt soft lips on hers. Startled she pulled back slightly opening her eyes, Orion’s eyes were filled with the question of permission to continue. Before even thinking twice she kissed him back. They were gentle like it was the first time they had done this. The blond turned his body towards her properly and pulled her flush against him, starting to thread his fingers through her hair with his free hand. The world stopped again, and it felt like she was back in the Room of Requirement in seventh year. The pair’s emotions were mixing with each other to the point where they did not know what belonged to who anymore and even though she had kissed this man many times before, this felt different to the ones in the past. Artemis started to stroke the back of his neck, feeling the short hair brushing gently against her passing fingers. The brunette smirked slightly when she felt the man shiver. The neck had always been one of his weak points. Feeling the smirk against his lips the blond pulled away slightly out of breath. “Unfair of you to play dirty Miss Blackmoore.” Artemis smirked wider as he continued to play with her hair, making her shiver in return. “Why should I play by the rules of a King who doesn’t follow his own rules hm?” Orion’s eyes glinted with mischief as a rush of lust waved through her. She gasped in surprise while he chuckled at her reaction. He leaned down to capture her lips again and poured everything he was feeling into it. The guilt, sorrow, regret, shame and everything else the man was feeling came pouring over her like warm water and as he deepened the kiss the emotions changed suddenly. Burning jealousy was radiating off him and Artemis could feel the brand resonate. It was burning slightly, but not in the pain that it had been in the Forest. This was to mark its presence, to tell her it was the owner of her. Their tongues battled for dominance as Artemis crawled into Orion’s lap pushing him gently against the tree again. His hands started to roam up and down her back, dragging his fingers over her spine, touching her thighs and going back to her face. When blond pushed them apart it felt too soon but even so the man was out of breath and his cheeks were stained a dusty pink. Artemis doubted she looked any different from him as the brunette leaned her forehead against his while they got their breath back. “We should get back to the castle. The others are probably waiting for us.” Artemis did not bother to hide her disappointment, but she had to nod. She was supposed to have Draco write that report today if the boy was even willing to see her at all. Orion looked up at her with the familiar Slytherin smirk. “We can always continue this later. We do have a private room and I am not scared of kicking the others out.” The brunette had to laugh at the blond as she shook her head at him. Still giggling she got off his lap and got to her feet. Orion stood up while brushing off his clothes, he leaned in close to her and kissed her cheek gently. “Every time Thompson does that I want to kill him.” The blond whispered into her ear and she looked back at him in surprise when he started to walk back to the castle. As she was about to follow she remember in the last second the handkerchief that Septimus had left. With a flick of the wrist the fabric piece shrunk back to it’s original size and she quickly put it in her pocket while she walked after Orion with haste.

Draco and Pansy were walking along one of the corridors on the second floor. Originally they had thought about taking a walk around the lake to get some air but when the rain had started to show its presence they had decided against it and settled for just walking around the school with no particular goal in mind. Draco knew that he had to go to the Aurors’ office at one point during the day to write that report that Auror Blackmoore had talked about but he had not heard from any of the Aurors after Auror Zabini had left the Slytherin house. The older Zabini had gotten his room back to normal again and it looked like nothing had happened there at all. The blond had not been sure what to tell his friends about what had happened and had settled for lying about the whole thing. He had told them that he was not allowed to tell anyone of the incident that had occurred before the Aurors had investigated it, but he had reassured them that he was fine. Thanks to Auror Thompson taking the damage and Auror Blackmoore being near when it happened. When thinking back to Auror Blackmoore he got filled with mixed feelings. On one hand she was the best thing that could have happened to him these days, he felt safe in her presence and she always listens to him when he had a problem. On the other hand she had tried to kill him, not on purpose of course, but it had still happened. He knew very well he had kept his life thanks to Auror Thompson and his quick actions. The blond frowned when he thought back to the little hesitation in the man’s voice when he gave Draco the orders, and how resolved he had been when keeping the woman on the ground. It seemed to him that this was not the first time Auror Thompson had seen this or maybe done those exact actions. The older man had even persistent through all the damage done to his own body without even thinking twice about it. He briefly wondered if the two of them had a different relationship behind the scenes but when he thought about it more he had never really seen them together often. Though Auror Thompson seemed to take every opportunity he could to touch the short woman. A flicker of jealousy went through Draco then that took him by surprise as he remembered the magical tattoo the wizard had. It was clear that the butterflies were not there by coincidence. Before he managed to explore the feeling further he got stopped in his tracks by Pansy pulling on his arm. “Draco! Look! Down there by the tree, isn’t that Auror Blackmoore and Auror Silver?” The girl jumped up and down in excitement as she pointed towards the big tree by the lake. The blond freed himself from the shorter girls grip as he turned his attention towards the pair outside. True enough it was them, and the blond squinted a bit to try and make out what they were doing. “Seems like they are just talking.” The Auror pair was sitting close together under the tree watching over the lake. Draco knew that something had happened between them at the start of the week and they had not been talking as much as they apparently used to. The older Zabini had given out some hints about the rift in their relationship during meals all week long. Apparently Auror Silver had kept some value information from Auror Blackmoore that had been revealed the day they had arrived here. A sudden realisation hit Draco as he thought about that night in the kitchen. She had stated that someone had kept information about Snape’s death from her and that she had just found out. Could that have been the reason? Pansy let out a high pitch squeal that almost made Draco’s ears burst. Covering his ears he sent her a glare, but all she did was point down towards the grounds again. The blond followed the direction she was pointing and felt his blood freeze. The two Aurors were _kissing_. The girl next to him was jumping again in excitement. “Oh Salazar, this is amazing! I have to tell the other girls about this, this is huge news! I knew there had to be something between at least one of them and Auror Blackmoore. NO. WAY. can she be that pretty and not land one of these men!” Suddenly the girls eyes grew wide as she looked at Draco. “Do you think she has done it with more than one of them? We need to start betting on this. I need to find the others quickly. Sorry love but I have to run now, see you later ok?” The Slytherin girl waved a quick goodbye to Draco before she started to run down the hall the way they had come, probably back to the Slytherin house. 

Draco stood frozen to the spot by the window as he saw Auror Blackmoore climb up on the other man’s lap. The flicker of jealousy he had felt before grew tenfold and he had to swallow down a scream of frustration. He was touching her now, feeling her all over and the young Slytherin wondered how it would be if he could trade places with the older man. How it felt to have the woman on top of him, having her fingers in his hair. Draco heard a few gasps to his left, and turned to see some Hufflepuff students looking out the window. “Mind your own business! Get lost!” The students looked at him with scared faces when they saw who had shouted to them and they hurriedly made their way down the hall. Draco turned his attention to the pair again and saw that they now were standing up. Auror Silver was brushing off his clothes as he kissed the witch on her cheek. The emotion was almost unbearable now, he had never felt this kind of burning jealousy for anything before. In his delirious state he hit the wall with his fist, and felt the skin on his knuckles tear open and pearls of blood started dripping down his hand. The two outside were now making their way towards the castle. In a split second decision Draco started to run in full speed towards the Entrance Hall where he knew they would be going in. Several students were yelling at him in anger as he passed them by on the way down the stairs and he was breathing hard when he saw the two Aurors enter the school just as he turned the corner after stepping off the last part of the stairs. Still running he made his way over to them, Auror Blackmoore was the first one to notice him as she looked at him in alarm. “Mr Malfoy, what happened? Why are you alone?” The witch immediately noticed his bleeding knuckles and grabbed his hand. He was glad he could blame the running when he gasped slightly from her touch. Her hands were cold, as evidence from being outside for so long. While catching his breath he looked at the woman’s worried face as she turned his hand around to look for more damage. Her lips were slightly swollen and a hint of a blush remained on her cheeks. The brunette looked up at him with worry. “We need to have that looked at, let’s go to the office.” Draco almost let out a whine from the loss of contact when the brunette let go of his hand. His eyes met Auror Silver and he quickly looked away when he noticed that his lips were similar to Auror Blackmoore’s. He could not stop himself for glaring daggers at the older wizard’s back as he walked next to Auror Blackmoore, he was not keeping his distance anymore and was constantly brushing her sides with his shoulder. Draco almost bumped into the other blond man when they stopped outside of the painting of Salazar Slytherin. “I have to go on my round, there are healing salves in my desk of you then them.” The smile that Auror Silver gave the witch was a professional one, but Draco could still see the hint of adoration underneath and he could feel the beast of jealousy inside him roar. The witch nodded at him and returned the smile. She knocked on the painting and it opened for her.

The young Slytherin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the office was empty. The brunette went over to her desk while unbuttoning her cloak and motioned for him to sit down in a spare chair that had been placed next to it. Probably for his benefit whenever he was coming here to fill out the documents. “Take a seat, Draco. I’m just going to check on Auror Thompson in the bedroom if that is alright?” The blond nodded at her as he went over to the chair. A warm feeling bloomed in his chest when she called him by his first name. He hadn’t really paid it any mind in the beginning, but now it felt totally different. He watched as the witch went into their private chambers leaving the door slightly open. Draco could hear faint mumbling from inside but she swiftly returned closing the door behind her. She smiled at him and now removing her cloak completely and hanging it neatly over the back of her chair before sitting down in it. “He is doing fine, just resting for now. Give me your hand.” The blond stretched out his hand for her to take and he felt a blush creep up his neck when she started to study his wounds, carefully touching his hand as she went. “What happened? Did you hit something?” Her eyebrows knitted together in disappointment at him, and he immediately felt guilty. “A wall.” The words left his mouth before he could stop himself as the expression on the witch changed into worry. Why was she worrying so much for him? She didn’t say anything as she placed her hand over his wounded knuckles. The witch mumbled the same healing incantation as she had done last night and a soft glow emitted from her hand. It was a warm and reassuring feeling. This was not the first time he had tasted a bit of her magic but this was the first time it was in direct contact with his skin like this. Something in his magical core stirred somewhat and he got a sudden urge to be closer to her, but he kept himself in check and did not move. Draco watched as his wounds healed in front of him and Auror Blackmoore took a hold of his knuckles again and felt over each of the joints to make sure everything was healed. Still holding his hand she looked up at him, making their eyes meet. Again he could see the little gold flakes swim around in the brown like he had in the night, she cleared her throat before saying anything. “Draco, I… I’m sorry for what happened this morning and I know an apology is not enough to justify what happened. But I dearly hope you still trust me and are not afraid of something like this happening again.” There was clear guilt evident in her eyes and Draco wanted nothing more than to take the woman into his arms, so he did. 

In a moment of madness he pulled his hand back from her hold and for a second the witch eyes were filled with sorrow but got replaced by surprise as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. He scooted his chair closer towards her and placed his legs on either side of hers feeling almost a burning sensation from where her thighs touched his. Draco wrapped his arms around her securely feeling her hands placed against his chest. The witch’s breath was hot against his neck and he felt like he was going insane. “You don’t have to be sorry. If there is anyone that is at fault it’s me, I was the one that asked you to stay in the first place. I don’t care what you are, I trust you completely.” The blond wanted to kick himself in embarrassment, but it felt good to say the words out loud. The woman in his arms started to shake slightly and he raised his eyebrows in shock when he felt his shoulder turning wet. A sob escaped the witch and Draco tightened the hold on her, he was at loss for words so it seemed like the best thing to do. Without realising it he started to rock back and forth in his chair but it seemed to have a calming effect on the brunette as she eventually sat up straight. Tear tracks were clearly visible on her cheeks as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, crying like that was highly unprofessional. It was just an answer I was not expecting.” Draco smiled gently at her and dried her cheeks with the cuffs on his shirt. “It’s the truth.” The witches eyes turned serious then as she looked at him. “Listen, Draco. You have a choice to make. Either you keep this to yourself and let us cover up the story or I have to Obliviate you right now.” The young blond looked at the Auror seriously in return. If she Obliviated him that meant losing this entire day from his memory, which meant also forgetting the kiss and the sudden jealousy he was feeling. He knitted his eyebrows together in frustration. Forgetting seemed like the coward way out of this no matter which way he turned it. Him forgetting would not make her stop being guilty from what she did and she would have to deal with it alone. “I will never say anything. You have my word as a Full-Blood.” The witch seemed to deflate in her seat as she smiled at him in relief and with a wave of her hand his shirt was dried of her tears. Clearing her throat she changed the direction of the conversation. “We better get started with these Ministry Papers, unless you are not up for it? We can do it later.” The blond shook his head. “I am fine to do it now, nothing better to do anyway.” The brunette smiled at him knowingly as she opened a drawer in her desk and took out a pile of papers. “As a favour for what happened this morning, I’m not going to have you take the truth serum. But you better answer honestly anyway, are we clear?” The blond chuckled a bit at the strict expression on her face as he nodded. He was given a quill and a bottle of ink to use and he took a deep breath to calm himself before starting the long progress of answering the questionnaire. It made it no easier with Auror Blackmoore sitting so close to him, even though she had moved her chair back and was working on some papers of her own. He was still close enough for him to just reach over and touch her. 

The place where her hands had touched his chest still tingled slightly giving him a pleasant feeling. Draco snuck a peek at her watching her work for a second. Her eyes were focused on the paper in front of her and she was chewing on her lip. His thoughts floated back to the scene of the Auror pair kissing again and the little flame of jealousy came to life again. Looking down on the paper in front of him he tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down, this was not the time to be thinking about this he reasoned. “Are you alright Draco?” The blond looked up quickly to meet the Auror’s eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. There doesn’t happen to be a bathroom I can borrow?” The woman gave him a strange look but nodded. She got out of her chair and opened the door to their private chamber. “First door on the left. Take your time.” Nodding in thanks to the witch Draco swiftly entered the room as quietly as he could. As told he went into the door to the left and saw that it was a relatively simple bathroom. It was just what you needed for everyday use, a shower, a toilet and a sink. Draco went over to the sink to wash his face when he noticed the different things that were standing on top of it. A bottle of perfume, some lotion and lipstick. The blond realised he was standing in Auror Blackmoore’s personal bathroom and it made him cold sweat. Before he started to feel like a stalker he quickly washed his face and left the bathroom after drying his face with a towel. He took a second to look around the room he was in. Again it was simple, five beds spread evenly around the room each with a bedside table and their trunks placed at the end of the bed. It was like how the old boy's dorm rooms looked the blond thought. “Snooping are we Mr Malfoy?” The blond got startled by Auror Thompson’s voice coming from one of the beds. The man chuckled at him as he pulled the curtains on his bed all the way back. “I was wondering who went in here, needed the bathroom?” “Yes, I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Auror Thompson.” The auburn haired man chuckled again as he sat up in his bed looking at him with a knowing look. “Tell me if I’m wrong Mr Malfoy but do you happen to have a crush on my dear Artemis out there?” Draco got taken aback with the question and he stood there speechless for a good second before he managed to respond. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sir. What gave you that idea?” The man looked at him with a smirk on his face. “Let me give you some advice Mr Malfoy, just know you are not the only hunter that is hunting this prey. But I won’t stop you, in fact, I wish you luck.” The blond swallowed thickly. “I am not sure I know what you are talking about, Sir.” Auror Thompson raised an eyebrow at him. “Really now? What a shame.” The Auror was grinning like a wolf that had, ironically, caught his catch of the day. Draco swallowed again while he thought of what to answer to that. The Auror was still bandaged up from earlier but had changed into a loose fitting shirt and pants. His chest was clearly visible and the magical tattoo was now proudly on display. The blond was certain now that the tattoo had some meaning behind it, the Jack card was, of course, a reference to his own nickname as he was ‘The Jack of all trades’ and the butterflies had to be a reference to the brown haired Auror. The butterflies fluttered around his chest in a lazy pattern now. Could that be a ‘Master’s’ mark? The blond was uncertain that a Master of a Slave would have a mark that signified who the slave was but if it was modified somehow it was not impossible. Even though that did not explain why her mark was that of a raven, but it could have a deeper meaning than what Draco could understand. 

Before he could answer a soft knock was heard on the door then and Auror Blackmoore peeked her head in. “Oh, Cyril you’re awake. I thought I heard talking.” She looked at Draco then with a curious look on her face. “I don’t have the habit of talking to myself yet Artemis. Mr Malfoy here was just about to leave but I just had to talk for a second. I am incredibly bored.” The woman rolled her eyes at the man on the bed while opening the door fully. “You can always get up and get some work done you know. I can even bring some work in here so you can do them on the bed.” Auror Thompson flung himself down on the bed again making mock moaning noises. “Oh! The pain just came back, I don’t think I can work after all! I think I need to stay here for some more hours. Just to be safe.” Auror Blackmoore crossed her arms and rolled her eyes again. “Well then, I better get Madam Pomfrey up here so she can go over you again. Seems like the wounds are worse than we thought then.” Draco did not miss the guilty undertone the witch had when she spoke and by the looks of the other Auror he caught it as well. He sat up again in bed and gave her a reassuring smile. “No need Prince. I’m fine, promise.” The Auror took his wand from the bedside table and flicked it once, suddenly several folders of papers came flying by them. “I better get some work done then before the scary mistress yells at me again.” Auror Blackmoore studied him for a second before nodding in agreement. “Call me if you need anything. Mr Malfoy, you still have a lot to answer.” She left the room then and Draco looked back the other man in the room. He was looking at him with the same knowing smile as before. “Remember Mr Malfoy. Your not the only hunter.” The blond shivered slightly as he followed the witch out the door, closing it softly behind him.


	10. Trick or Treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! There is mention of non-consensual sex aka rape in this chapter.

Breakfast had been humiliating. The second Artemis and Orion had gone through the big door the entire school had been staring at them. Confused, Orion had looked at the teacher's table and was met with a not so amused look by the Headmistress. You could have cut the silence with a knife until Zacharias started to laugh loudly followed by a few catcalls their way. Artemis quickly ran over to the Slytherin table while Orion was walking determined to his now usual seat next to the Headmistress. While he walked down the Hall it erupted with chatter and he could hear comments here and there: “Was it them?” “I swear I saw them!” “No. Way!” “They are in so much trouble.” “Can they put the Aurors in detention?!” Burns was looking at him gleefully like the thought of him being in trouble was the funniest thing in the world. As he got up to the teachers’ table McGonagall stared him down. “Mr Silver, meet me in my office after breakfast. Take Miss Blackmoore and Mr Malfoy with you as well. We have much to discuss.” The usual tone of politeness was gone and replaced by subtle disappointment. Orion nodded in return as he went to sit down. As his waffles appeared before him Burns leaned into him. “Oh my, Orion! Snogging under the big tree, what a cliché.” The woman laughed sweetly at him and placed her hand on his knee. After a whole week of this, he should have gotten used to it but it still made him feel repulsed. He took a bite out of his breakfast without answering while looking down at the Slytherin table. Septimus was looking at him sheepishly from across the Hall. Orion glared back at him, while Artemis spat out whatever she was drinking at the time. He raised his eyebrow at her when she looked at him but the witch quickly looked away. Cyril, he noted, was grinning like a wolf next to her while patting her back. The man had chosen the correct day to sit at the Slytherin table it seemed. The blond was pulled out of his jealousy filled head when Burns started to rub her hand up and down his thigh slowly and if he could get away with it he would have thrown his coffee at her. “Miss Burns. Anything I can help you with?” Orion looked at the witch with the most polite smile he could muster. Her eyes did not hide what her intentions were, the Auror shivered in disgust. “Most definitely. Why don’t we meet up after class today in my office? I have something I need to discuss with you.” Her voice turned to a serious tone towards the end and Orion raised his eyebrow at her in question. “Really? What would that be?” The wizard did not think the witch could have come any closer at this point but she still seemed to manage. “It has something to do with Mr Malfoy, I am sure you want to know the details. So, my office?” This was clearly a trap Orion thought, but he had no choice to agree to go. If there even was a chance that she did have some information he had to know about it. He smiled politely at her again before answering. “Alright, I will join you after my meeting with the Headmistress. You don’t have class until after lunch correct?” The witch lit up like a Christmas tree with delight but before she managed to say anything McGonagall got up from her seat and walked towards the podium. The Great Hall fell into silence again while they waited for the older witch to speak. Clapping her hands the usual candles in the ceiling turned into pumpkin lanterns and little decorative pumpkins turned up in some of the corners of the room. “My dear students, it is now time again for the yearly Halloween Masquerade!” The students erupted into applause and cheering but stopped when the Headmistress waved her hand. “Yes, I know all of you must be excited and you have all the reason to be. Now this year we have a theme for this event, pay attention please.” McGonagall took out her wand from her robe and pointed it to the ceiling. “Expecto Patronum!” A cat sprung from her wand and started to dart around the Hall, it visited every table and played a little with the pumpkins that were floating closest to the ground before vanishing. Applause rang around the Hall again from the performance and once again the Headmistress had to quiet everyone. Orion frowned slightly at the show while his eyes met Artemis again, her face mimicked his own. “As all of you just saw that was my Patronus, which has to be summoned by thinking about the happiest memory a person possesses. So to show that no matter what kind of hardship and sorrow we go through in life we still have the happy memories with us. For this reason, the only rule for this event is that you all will be dressed in masks that represent your Patronus.” Whispers were heard around the Hall, and Orion did not have to guess what some of them were saying. “Now now, I know what you are all thinking. Not everyone can produce a Patronus. But don’t worry, you can still participate in the festivities. Simply think of an animal that you think represents you best! This will show all the different individuals that are part of this school. There will also be no House division at this Ball. So you can go with your friends no matter the House. Oh, yes. All students are invited! No age requirement.” The whispers turned into cheering again from the younger students and chattering about what they were going to make had already started. Orion could not shake the bad taste in his mouth, it seemed too staged for his liking. The wizard took a peek down at the Slytherins again and watched as Artemis said some words to the older students at the table. They all sat there with sombre looks on their faces and for a good reason he thought. “The Masquerade is to be held here in the Great Hall on the 31st of October at six o’clock. I hope to see most of you there and good luck with the mask making!” McGonagall stepped down from the podium and went back to her seat at the teacher's table. She looked at Orion fully now, and with the usual polite expression. “You and your colleagues are also invited to participate Auror Silver. Remember your masks.” The blond was put out for a second, he had not expected the old witch to actually invite them. Which meant there was probably more than met the eye with this. 

Orion, Artemis and Malfoy were now standing inside the Headmistress’s office. They had quickly made their way thereafter finished eating and all of them were now waiting patiently for the old witch to show herself. The room itself did not look much different from when it was Albus Dumbledore in the Headmaster seat. It was still filled with books from top to bottom along the walls, only the solar system the old wizard had was gone and was replaced with three cages with a different animal in each. One was a barn owl, second a rabbit and third a rat. If Orion were to guess it represented something only the Headmistress knew of. The older blond suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and looked at his partner in confusion. She was staring at something at the wall on the right side of the Headmistress’s desk, he followed her eyes and saw that it was the painting of his old Head of House, Severus Snape. The old potion master looked at them with a little amusement in his eye, not unlike what he would usually do when they got in trouble. A shallow laugh came from the brunette next to him then. “A painting, that is all that they gave him. A bloody painting.” The wizard in the frame frowned at her. “Yes, I am indeed a painting Miss Blackmoore. But I still have ears, language please.” Hearing his voice was what did it. The woman next to him crumbled like a house of cards to the floor, hugging herself like she was the last person on earth. Small sobs escaped from her every few seconds. But before Orion himself could react the young Malfoy was already on the floor with her, trying to console her. “It’s alright Artemis, I know it hurts. I could not look at him in the beginning either.” Had it not been for the fact that they were surrounded by old Headmasters and teachers he would have commented harshly on the use of her first name, but Orion managed to bite his tongue in the last second. Now that he had full access through the bond he placed a hand on her shoulder softly and sent as many calm emotions through that he could muster. Within a few seconds, she had calmed down enough to be helped up again by the young blond. She looked at him with a shameful expression. “I seem to embarrass myself in front of you, Mr Malfoy. Not very professional of me.” The boy only shook his head in response while smiling softly at her. “It’s fine.” Artemis smiled at the boy, which made Orion’s jealousy flutter in his stomach, and she turned to the painting again. “What do you remember Severus?” The painting looked at her confused for a second and then smiled at her when he seemed to figure out what she meant. “The bond is still strong I see. I am glad.” Orion watched as his partner got a soft look in her eye and nodded to the painting. Tears were still evident in her eyes, but somehow she seemed more at peace with the answer than he expected. 

With the help of the young Malfoy the witch got to her feet just as a door opened from the left then and the Headmistress came walking in followed by Burns. Instinctively Artemis placed herself a little in front of the young Malfoy, she still had her beliefs that the other witch was here on some mission, and not a good one. “Mr Silver, Miss Blackmoore. First of all, I want to say that I am utterly disappointed in you both. To be _snogging_ in the schoolyard like teenagers is highly unprofessional. I should report this to your boss, however, I have chosen to let this one slide if it is promised to not happen again.” The woman stared them both down in turn while she sat down and in turn, both Aurors nodded in understanding. “Very good. Now on to other matters. I have consulted with Professor Burns here and we have concluded that you need more help in taking care of Mr Malfoy here. Therefor Professor Burns will be keeping his wand on her at all times and is the one to hand it to him before every class. Also, she will be following him to and from different classes that do not clash with her own schedule.” Before Orion managed to even let the information sink in Artemis had already started to protest. “Has Robards been informed of this? Besides, it is evidently Mr Malfoy that is the one that hired us in the first place. What he says goes. So unless he agrees you cannot do this.” The brunette was right, the Headmistress could not do any of this without permission and by the look of the young blond he was taken by surprise as well as the other two. ”That will not be necessary Auror Blackmoore. He is not the ruler of this school. I am. By the incident that occurred in Mr Malfoy’s room only yesterday morning, it is clear you need more assistance. Professor Burns here is excellent at her subject and is more than qualified to do the job.” Malfoy took one step closer to the older witch now with a frown on his face. “I don’t want Professor Burns to follow me around, nor for her to have my wand in her possession. That stays with one of the Aurors and they handled the incident yesterday just as they are trained to do. I doubt the Professor here is trained for Death Eater attacks.” Burns smiled her usually sickly sweet smile at all of them. “Oh I will have you know that I have taken quite a few courses on the side for dealing with these situations Mr Malfoy, I thought they would come in handy when I got this job. So the Headmistress is right, I am more than qualified to do it.” “Then let us see some papers on these so called ‘courses’ then.” Artemis crossed her arms stubbornly as she glared at the blonde witch. “Of course, they are in my office. We are planning to go there after this are we not Mr Silver? I can show you then.” Orion could feel the questionable look that Artemis had on her face when the other witch had said that they were going there together and he tried to reassure her that is was nothing but professional and hoped that she would understand. “Well I am sorry McGonagall but _you_ are not _my_ boss. So I am taking Mr Malfoy to London this instant to discuss this with Robards and if he does not agree with your plan then it is not going to happen.” The Headmistress looked at the brunette in shock as she took a little bit of floo powder from the jar over the fireplace and threw it into the fire. “Ministry of Magic!” The flames busted into the familiar green colour as she grabbed the young Malfoy’s hand, and with a flick of her wrist his wand flew from Burns cloak and over to her own hand. “I will be taking this if you don’t mind Burns. Auror Silver, we will be back before lunch.” The older blond gave his partner a nod as the pair stepped into the green flames and vanished. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to come. “This is outrageous! That woman has to be stopped! That is kidnapping Headmistress!” The older witch was still sitting there in slight shock but was brought back to her senses by the late potion master’s painting laughter. “Severus! What on earth are you laughing for.” The painting did not answer her, but he winked in Orion’s direction which any other day the blond would have found hilarious. Now it seemed strangely reassuring.

As Artemis and Draco emerged from the fireplace the witch quickly realised she was holding onto the young Malfoy’s wand. The brunette had Accioed it to herself without thinking too closely about it and it was now spitting sparks while trying to violently wiggle out of her grip. She let it go quickly and it clattered to the ground. Draco looked at the wand on the floor stunned for a second before looking up at the witch. “What just happened?” Artemis quickly brushed off the soot that had covered her uniform while looking at him. “Pick it up will you? It is yours.” Still, with the stunned expression Draco swiftly picked up the wand, relishing the feeling of holding it again before putting it securely in his cloak. Artemis started to walk towards the security entrance and heard the boy jog to catch up behind her. It was also at this point she realised that he was at the heart of the Ministry, in a school uniform and people were already staring at them as they passed. “Auror Blackmoore, people are—” “Staring? That is nothing new, just keep walking.” Artemis noticed that it was Jessica that was on duty and she cursed to herself quietly. This was going to be more difficult now. The brunette put on the happiest smile she could muster as they got closer to the security check. The curly haired woman noticed Artemis as she was a few meters away from her and started to wave almost maniacally at her. “Auror Blackmoore! I haven’t seen you in forever! How have you been!?” The brunette took a peek at Draco and motioned him to go in front of her. “Miss Finch, how lovely to see you today. Heard any new gossip?” The woman light up like a Lumos and Artemis braced herself for the onslaught of words that was coming her way. “You will not believe what I heard last week! Do you know that extremely handsome wizard that works in the Department of Transportation? Well! He was caught with his pants down in one of the broom closets on the third level, you know the Department for Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, with the _even more_ handsome wizard from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures! Can you believe it Auror Blackmoore?!” The blond was now past Jessica’s booth and was waiting against a wall on the other side for Artemis to come through. The boy had closed his cloak completely to try and hide the school uniform underneath to not seem as out of place. The brunette faked a shocked expression at Jessica. “No! You don’t say? I swear there are no single handsome men left in this place!” The other witch nodded seriously at her. “I can drink to that!” Both women laughed one with more honesty than the other. “It has been a pleasure as usual Miss Finch but I have to get going now, duties and all.” Jessica smiled at her as she nodded. “Of course! I am sorry to have kept you Auror Blackmoore, have a good day!” Artemis let out a breath of annoyance as she passed Draco, the boy quickly following. “Do you always have to do that?” The brunette looked at him irked. “No thank Merlin, usually I have Orion to distract her.” She could hear the blond snigger as they hurried over to the elevators that would take them down to the second floor. Luckily it was empty and they could both breathe a sigh of relief. “I will do the talking when we get into Robards office, only speak if you are spoken to. Hopefully, he is in a good mood as he is not expecting us. There is also no use in lying to the man, he has been an Auror too long for that. Understand?” The blond nodded quickly just as the doors opened to reveal the usual chaos that was the second floor. Artemis put on her most professional mask that she could and started to make her way towards her boss office. As usual, eyes followed her as she walked but none stopped her. The brunette could hear some comments about the boy following her as Draco was not an unfamiliar face among the Aurors. One of them was now standing outside of the Head Auror’s office with a strict look on his face. “Sorry, but the boss is busy.” Artemis raised her eyebrow at him and quickly looked him up and down. “Auror Mac correct? I have important information I need to discuss with Robards. Now.” The man in front of her looked at her in surprise by the mentioning of his name but quickly turned serious again at the same time showing her his wand. “I am sorry, but I have gotten orders to not let anyone in.” The brunette took a step closer to him while keeping his eyes locked to her. “I am saying this again, Auror Mac, I have to speak to Robards. Now. So move if you want to keep holding that wand correctly.” The wizard was evidently convinced by the demonstration of seriousness as he cowardly stepped out of the way so Artemis could walk through the door, the blond quickly following behind. 

The Head Auror was in the middle of a conversation by floo as they entered the room and the man looked up annoyed when they walked in. When he saw who it was his face got a more understanding look to it as he turned towards the fireplace again. “As I have told you already I have not seen them yet, Headmistress but I am sure Auror Blackmoore is on her way here right this moment. I will call if I hear anything, good day.” The man cut off the floo connection and turned in his chair to face them. He pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk for them to sit down. Artemis nodded to Draco to do as told and the young Malfoy took the chair to the left while the brunette took the one on the right. With a flick of his wand, the door closed softly behind them and as he put it back on the desk the Head Auror’s face turned strict. “Care to explain why the Headmistress of Hogwarts calls me in a riot because you may or may not have kidnapped a student Auror Blackmoore?” Artemis mimicked her boss expression before starting to explain what had transcribed in the Headmistress’s office earlier that morning. The man listens without saying anything, just sometimes looking at Malfoy for confirmation that it had indeed happened that way. When the female Auror was done talking the Head Auror sat back into his chair, mindful. “I see. That is not the way we go about things here, that is for sure. Who is this Burns you are talking about?” Artemis knew that she had to give him some information to get his favour but that also meant giving the same to Draco, which she hoped would not bite her later. “Vanessa Burns. She was in the same year as me in Hogwarts, Sir. Gryffindor. We don’t share a good history.” Robards raised his eyebrow at the last part. “Really? Do tell.” That was the least the brunette wanted to do as she tried to give Robards a pardoning look, but either the man was oblivious to it or he simply chose to ignore it in favour of information. She peeked at Draco from the corner of her eye and the blond was sitting there listening intently. “She was an extremely big bully in school Sir. Blackmail, violence, threats. The whole package. Her being a teacher is just as unthinkable as me following the rules for a week.” The smile she gave her boss was mostly for her to try and calm her own nerves, and it seemed that the man understood as he did not question anymore but only nodded. “I will get someone to do a background check on this Burns and see if we can’t come up with something. In the meantime, I will tell McGonagall that the plan they have concocted is off limits and if she plans to follow it I will personally pull all of you out. A few courses, how ridiculous.” The Head Auror mumbled the last sentence just loud enough for the other two to hear and the brunette heard a soft snort coming from the boy next to her. The older wizard wrote something down on a piece of parchment before looking at Draco. “Well, now that you are here in person Mr Malfoy I will ask you some questions directly. We got an alarm that you touched a wand that was not yours early yesterday morning. Is this correct?” Artemis looked over to the young Malfoy as the blond froze slightly in his chair. “Yes, Sir.” “Did this wand belong to Auror Cyril Thompson?” The young blond peeked nervously over at Artemis before he answered. “Yes, Sir.” Robards studied the boy in front of him for a few seconds before continuing. “Is it true that you used it in self-defence and under the orders of said Auror?” Artemis had been told by Cyril that he had sent a report to the Head Auror after he had gotten back to the office that morning explaining why Draco had been in contact with his wand, but they had not had the time or the energy to talk about the details yet. “Yes, Sir.” To the brunette, it seemed obvious he was telling the truth and it looked like her boss came to the same conclusion. “Good, I will then have to commend you for following orders Mr Malfoy. Auror Thompson tells me in his report that you followed orders efficiently and bravely, well done. I have put it together with the rest of your papers and it will earn you a good standing with the judges I am sure.” The Head Auror smiled at the young Malfoy that visibly relaxed in his chair. The blond gave the other wizard a polite smile in return. “Thank you, Sir.” Artemis let out the breath she didn’t know she had been holding and had to remind herself to ask Cyril what he had actually written in that report when they got back. 

The pair had managed to make their way back into the Atrium without much trouble. Jessica had thankfully gone to lunch and the wizard taking her shift was not as attentive and Artemis had managed to sneak Draco out the same way as she did in without a hitch. They were now walking towards the floo connections when Artemis stopped in her tracks and looked at the blond. “Why don’t we take a quick trip to the Leaky? There is a few hours until lunch at Hogwarts so they won’t be missing us just yet.” The young Malfoy looked at her owlishly. “But I am still in my school uniform, won’t people ask questions?” The brunette laughed softly at him, stepped in front of him and opened his cloak. The blond blushed at the gesture and his eyes widen when the witch started to take off his Slytherin tie. “Auror Blackmoore?” Artemis smirked at him while she held the tie in front of him and put it in her pocket. “Turn your robes inside out will you?” The blond looked at her curiously now before doing as told, when he was done Artemis took out her wand and tapped him on the shoulder, slowly the green colour turned black and it now looked like an ordinary travelling robe. The boy looked amazed down on himself. “A Glamour for the cloak? Nifty.” The witch grinned in return. “Thank you, I do this professionally you know? Now let’s go hm?” Draco smiled at her in return and nodded. They then made their way over to the elevator to get to street level in silence. Artemis was in need of a hot coffee at this point and it felt good to be out of the castle even if it was just for a little while. She was sure that the blond with her felt the same way as they entered the elevator together. There was a few witches in there who went quiet when they entered and the brunette did not miss the ugly looks they were sending the wizard next to her. Artemis glared at both of them and they quickly turned the other way. Luckily they got off at the next floor and they were left alone. “Do you get used to the staring Auror Blackmoore?” The witch looked at the young blond a little saddened by the question. “You get better at ignoring it and putting yourself above those that have nothing better to do than judge you for things they have no knowledge of.” The boys face turned to that of wonder as the elevator stopped at the top. The pair was now out in the open air and Artemis took a deep breath. “Never thought I would say this but it is good to be back here.” Draco had already started to walk down the street in haste and Artemis had to snicker at the eagerness the boy showed, not that she could blame him for it. She caught up to him quickly and they walked side by side towards the Leaky Cauldron. It was a short walk but the cold wind that hit their faces made them pick up the pace and they got there in a matter of minutes. Tom was standing behind the counter and waved happily at Artemis as they entered. “My! Seems we are having big guests here today! Auror Blackmoore, long time no see.” The brunette smiled at the wizard and motioned the young Malfoy to find them somewhere to sit. The blond started to scout the tables that were vacant and made his way towards the back quickly while Artemis went up the counter in the meantime. “Tom! How is life?” The man smiled even wider at her and winked. “Oh, you know, not bad! Thank you for keeping the streets safe and all that. So who is the young blood you have with you today? A trainee?” The brunette peeked behind her to see Draco waving at her from one of the booths in the back and she nodded in return. “Oh, yes something like that. Give me the usual will you and a butterbeer and blueberry tart for the young man hm?” The wizard grinned in understanding at her evasiveness and nodded. “Coming right up Miss!” Artemis grinned back at him and went to join the young wizard at his table. The boy looked at her with a smirk. “Come here often?” Artemis rolled her eyes at him. “I did a lot of patrols of this place right after the war, you start talking to people that way. I ordered for both of us, should just take a few minutes.” The blond's eyes looked at her in surprise, then it slowly turned to guilt. “But I have no money on me. I can’t pay you back either.” The brunette snorted at him and waved her hand in dismissal. “Forget about that, money is not everything. Let’s say you owe me a favour in return, fair?” The boy thought about it for a second before nodding seriously. As promised the food then arrived and Tom stood there with a tray floating in front of him. “A beautiful lunch for a beautiful couple.” The brunette rolled her eyes again and did not miss the blush that was spreading on the blonds face. It did not go unnoticed by their host either as he smirked at the boy. “Now you are getting more and more beautiful as time goes by Auror Blackmoore, you are surely turning some heads. Don’t you agree?” Artemis looked at the young blond as he blushed harder and nodded in agreement. Tom started a deep laugh as he put their food in front of them winked at Draco before walking away. “Find me beautiful do you Draco?” The brunette could not resist the tease and it was worth it seeing the blond take a quick hold of his drink and swallowed down half of it before he answered. “You have to be blind not to find you beautiful Aur- Artemis.” He was still blushing as his stormy grey eyes met her brown ones. The brunette looked back at him with surprise, she had not expected him to be so direct and she simply took a sip of her coffee as a response. The blond was fidgeting in his seat until he noticed what was actually in front of him. “You knew I liked blueberry tart?” The witch smirked at him. “You eat it for dessert every day, it was an easy guess.” She took a bite of her own chocolate tart and hummed in pleasure which roused another blush from the boy and she had to take another sip of coffee to hide her grin. 

They had been eating in comfortable silence for a little while when some wizards came through the door to the Leaky Cauldron while shouting. Artemis looked alarmed at the door when she saw that they were all wearing Death Eater masks. From this distance it was hard to tell if they were real or not but thinking about all the people that were inside it was best to be careful. “If you want to live you all better get down on the floor! Wands where we can see them!” Her eyes met Tom’s behind the counter and she nodded at him to follow orders, and did the same to Draco and started to slowly get off her chair. If she was lucky they did not look too closely at her robes before it was too late. She reached over to pull the blond’s hood over his head to hide his hair and then did the same. The wizards had now started to walk around the room looking at each person as they went. It was obvious they were looking for someone in the crowd but so far they had said nothing. Just moving swiftly from person to person, it was quick to see a pattern as they left all of the children and women alone. It was then one of them pulled up a young man, Artemis frowned at them when they pulled up his sleeve on his left arm. “Idiot! The boy is blond remember? That guy has black hair!” One of them pointed his wand at the young wizard and he fell back to the floor with a painful thud. “Sorry, he just kinda looked like him ya know?” The brunette bit her lip, if she were to guess they were looking for Draco. But how they knew that he was here was a matter she had to think of at a later time as she started to look around the room now trying to find a way out. There were five of the Death Eaters and the door out to the streets of London was behind them but the door that lead to Diagon Alley was to the pair’s right. If she distracted them long enough Draco could get a chance to get into the Alley and to Knockturn where Eminence had her shop.

One of the wizards was closing in on them now and Artemis slid her hand over to Draco, tapping him on the shoulder slightly. He moved so that he could look at her without lifting his head too much in response. The brunette tapped her temple then pointing at him hoping he would understand what she meant. She knew the boy was a skilled Occlumens but now she needed him to lower his shield so the witch could tell him of her plan without giving them away to the intruders. It seemed that he understood as he nodded, she then focused on him and the brief conversation they had earlier came visible in front of her eyes proving that she had access. “ _Draco,_ _I will distract the Death Eaters, the moment you see your chance I want you to run thr_ _o_ _u_ _gh_ _the door to Diagon Alley and straight into Knockturn_ _A_ _lley. Take the first left, when your cloak lifts itself up on it’s own you will see Loftwind_ _’_ _s shop in front of you. Sundry, Potions and Glyp_ _h_ _s. Hopefully, she will know that you are coming. Lock the door behind you and don_ _’_ _t let anyone in, not even if it’s me. Don’t stop running until you are inside the door.”_ The blond looked at her with worry in his eyes. _“But_ _what about you, I can’t just leave you behind. I have my wand, I can fight beside you!”_ The witch looked at him strictly. _“Absolute_ _l_ _y_ _not, this is my job and keeping you safe is my top prior_ _i_ _ty. These men are after you Draco and we don’t know why. I will follow you as soon as I can but if I am not thereafter an hour has gone get Loftwind to send for help. Do you understand me Draco?”_ After a few seconds, the boy nodded slightly and Artemis breathed a sigh of relief. The wizard was dangerously close now and there was only one person between her and him. Artemis swallowed thickly and stood up and faced the wizard. The intruders looked at her in alarm, all of them pointing their wands at her simultaneously. “What are you doing lady?! Get down!” One of them screamed at her, sounding surprised that someone had dared to actually get up. She smiled coldly at him. “You are not real Death Eaters, are you? I’ve never seen anyone less intimidating than you and I’ve seen a lot of people in my field of work.” The wizard closest to her took a closer look at her and his eyes widen suddenly. “That’s Auror robes!” Artemis rolled her eyes. “Well spotted, smart aren’t you?” She started to slowly make her way into the room making sure that Draco had a clear exit to the door. She slid her makeshift wand out of the cloak pocket as she went, not that she really needed it but it was in these situations she used it to not stand out more than she normally did. All the wizards were on their toes and the wands followed her as she closed in on the counter on the other side of the room. The further she could get from the blond on the floor the better for him. So far no spells had been flung and if she could keep it that way this would end better for everyone. “What do you think you are doing? Stand still!” The wizard in the middle of the group closed in on her, wand pointing at her he gestured to the others to do the same. They were circling her like sharks smelling blood in water and she took a peek at the young Malfoy who was still on the floor. He was waiting patiently for a chance to run and she figured now was a good time as any. All of the intruders’ attention was on her and he had a free shot at the door. The chance of him being hit by a curse on the way out was minimal, even if the closest wizard had good enough reflexes. Artemis stopped moving and smirked at them. “Five on one is a little much don’t you think? I mean I might beat you, won’t that be embarrassing?” For effect, the brunette twirled her wand between her fingers. That seemed to do the trick as the wizard in the middle shouted a curse at her. Being prepared for it she shielded it in the last second and kicked a table over and hid behind it. “GO!” She shouted to Draco as she sent a curse back at the wizard. Confused at her outburst he was too slow to shield himself and it hit him full on sending him to the ground. Artemis saw the blond run for the door and disappear quickly and she silently hoped none of them had recognised him on the way out. “Someone just ran out sir!” The brunette looked from behind her table and it seemed that the one that was in the middle had not been the boss even though he had put on airs. “Go after him! That might be him!” That voice sounded familiar to Artemis’s ears though at the moment she could not be certain, now she needed to make sure they did not follow Draco. “Forgot about me already?” She yelled at them before sending a few curses their way which made them run for cover. The civilians who had been trapped until then had now seen their chance to run in the commotion and wizards and witches were running for both exits, confusing the invaders in the process. They choose to stay put and fight, which Artemis was glad for, that meant that they would not follow the young blond. As she sends out more curses and put up a protection ward she tried desperately to reach Orion through the bond. But somehow she got no response, in frustration she bombarded the Death Eaters with curses and wonder what the hell he could be doing.

The second Orion had entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts office a weird feeling had spread throughout his body. It felt like someone was poking him in the back of the skull with a needle and it was giving him a raging headache. Listening to the overly peppy witch in front of him was not helping either and he had to force himself greatly to keep a natural expression. A cup of tea was placed in front of him carefully and he nodded politely at the witch. The woman smiled all too sweetly at him in return and went to sit down behind her desk. Orion took a peek around the room then, it was barren almost as if it wasn’t used for weeks even though the professor had been here for over a week already. The blond frowned slightly, there were no personal belongings and only a simple desk and chair. The Slytherin was brought back to attention when the woman coughed at him. “You had some information about the Malfoy boy correct? I am sorry to say I don’t have all day Miss Burns.” Burns smiled sweetly at him again. “That I did, but first Orion I wanted to ask something.” Orion raised an eyebrow at her. “Really? Now, what is that?” The witch leaned further towards him with a serious look in his face. “Are you under the Imperius curse?” Orion looked at the woman dumbfounded for a second. “Pardon?” Burns got up from her desk and walked around it to stand in front of him hands on her hips. “I will ask again, are you under the Imperius curse?” The blond could not control his laughter seeing the witch’s serious face. “No I am not under the Imperius curse, why in Merlin’s name would you think so?” Frowning the woman took a step closer to him studying him like he was a rare creature. “I am convinced that Blackmoore must be controlling you somehow. How is she doing it?” Burns was mostly talking to herself at this point as she continued to study him and the blond could not believe what he was hearing. The witch in front of him must have lost her marbles at one point to believe something so ridiculous. He felt the poking in the back of his head was growing worse now and found it hard to concentrate. Orion froze in his chair when the witch pointed her wand at him, and suddenly his uniform undid itself showing off his chest and stomach. A soft gasp came out of the witch as she studied him, after a few seconds she came back to her senses with a lustful look on her face. “Burns, your point in stripping me?” Their eyes met then and the piercing green colour sent shivers down his back. He could kick himself for not being faster on the draw of his wand. “How is she controlling you? I know that monster is doing something to you, no way the Orion Silver I knew would get caught snogging in the school grounds with that damn bitch.” Orion could feel his anger rising at each word that left the woman’s mouth but somehow he found himself stuck to the chair unable to move. The poking in his head was beyond painful now and his vision was beginning to blur at the edges. Burns started touching him then seemingly looking for something on his chest as she slid into his lap. “You better get off me right now Burns.” He said through gritted teeth, anger dripping on every word like poison. All that met him was a sweet smile that made him sick to his stomach. “Now now, Orion. I know you want this as much as I do dear. Is it a love potion she got you under? Could it be that simple? This needs to be put to the test then.” Grinning like a Cheshire cat she started to place small kisses along his neckline, he wanted nothing more than to push her of him and get out. But his muscles had stopped listening to him and he started desperately to look around the room for something that could help him. He forced his brain to think rationally for a second, he had not touched the tea that had been served him so there could be no way she got any drugs into his system that way and it had been too long since breakfast for anything to take effect now. Which left the room itself. Orion searched high and low from what he could see from his position as he tried to ignore the kisses and little bites the witch was doing on his neck. Suddenly he saw it. A tiny vial was standing on a bookshelf seemingly innocent, but Orion recognised the misty white smoke coming out of the bottle. It was a muscle-relaxing drug, and a strong one. Burns must have put the antidote in her tea and drank it quickly as he entered the room seeing she was not affected at all. But that still did not explain why his vision was turning blurry and the intense headache he had, there had to be something else that did it. The blond tried to flex his fingers and was relieved somewhat that they still worked, he steeled himself for the pain he was about to suffer as he forced his body to cooperate with him to push the witch off him. It was not often he needed to use the extra power he got from Artemis side of the bond but he could not stay here. She landed on the floor with a yelp and looked at him in surprise. His whole body screamed at him when he stood up and gave her a look of disdain. “Explain yourself. Now.” Burns looked at him with fear swimming through her eyes for a second before they became hard as emeralds and a cold laugh left the woman. “I knew you were under her control!” Hastily standing up she grabbed his shirt and forced their lips together. Pulling slightly apart the witch continued to talk. “You know I said that I have always liked you, Orion, it was impossible for her to have made you hers in any other way so she drugged you. I understand. We just need to get it out of your system my love.” Orion was close to losing his consciousness now as his vision was almost gone while he stumbled into the armrest of the chair as he tried to get her off him. The witch took this as an invitation instead and tried to force her tongue down his throat again. Almost at a loss for what to do he faintly heard someone banging on the door through the blood rushing in his ears. Burns stopped what she was doing and looked at the door annoyed. 

The knocking became even more persistent and the witch turned to give him an evil smile. “Come in!” Momentarily horrified Orion looked over to the door and saw a surprised looking Cyril standing in the doorway. The other wizard studied the scene in front of him and his face slowly turned to that of disgust. “Sorry to disturb, but I need Silver to come with me.” Burns looked at him with an innocent look. “Oh! Cyril what a surprise. Of course, you can take him, we are done now anyway.” If murder had a face it would be Cyril’s at the moment as Orion tried to make his way out of the room. His body was still screaming at him to stop moving but he had to get out of this room before he collapsed. Walking shakily towards the other man, Cyril seemed to notice something was wrong as he took one step into the room with knitted eyebrows only to stop and take a step back. His anger did not falter however as he waited patiently for Orion to get close enough for him to take a hold of the blond’s wrist and drag him out into the hallway. The blond supported himself on the other man as he closed the door with a loud bang but not before seeing the look of mischief on Burns's face. Cyril took quick action then and all but threw him down on the floor swearing the entire time. “What the bloody fuck were you doing in there?! I’ve been looking for you for over an hour already! Is your relationship with Artemis worth that little to you?! Silver, can you hear me or what?” Orion’s mind was slowly clearing up and his vision slowly returned. His body still ached but that too was letting go slowly. He was about to answer the man when he felt a wave of different emotions run through him at once. Desperation, frustration, fear and anger. The blond held his head in his hands and let out a few deep breaths, the auburn haired man knelt down in front of him then looking at him with momentary worry. “Silver?” Orion raised his head to meet the other man’s eyes. “There was something in that room that did something to me, you noticed the muscle drug didn’t you? It was something else too, but I don’t know what.” Cyril’s face turned to that of anger again as he stood up. “I don’t bloody care about your fucking kinks or that bitch, I was looking for you for a reason.” He held his hand out for Orion to take when he did he pulled the blond off the floor and into a standing position. The blond ignored his remarks the other wizard said to him as he realised what he had said earlier. “Wait, you said you had been looking for me for over an hour? What time is it?!” The blond looked at the other man in desperation and he got a sinking feeling in his gut when his friend gave him a disappointed look. “Got so lost in your little seance that you forgot time? It’s after lunch already.” Orion’s eyes widen at the information, how could that be possible? Had he really been in that office for over two hours? The whole thing seemed to have been over in just a couple of minutes for him. Then it hit him. The emotions that he had felt all at once. They had, of course, come from Artemis but now when he tried to feel for her he felt nothing. But it was not the same nothing he felt when she had closed the bond, this was different and it sent chills up his spine. “I can’t reach Artemis.” He said in a whisper mostly to himself, but his colleague heard him and patted him on the shoulder a little too forcefully for the blond’s liking. Orion looked at him annoyed but his expression faltered when the same face of disdain appeared on his partners face. “While you were doing fuck knows to that woman, Artemis ended up in St Mungos. Malfoy and her were attacked at the Leaky a little over an hour ago. Potter was the one that tipped us of the fact that Malfoy had not returned to school before lunch and we sent word to Robards. That’s how we found out. I sent the others ahead with Potter, he insisted on coming. Had I know what you were doing I would not have bothered to find you at all so if you can get your shit together long enough then let’s go already.” Cyril started to walk down the hall in frustration, all Orion had really heard from what he said was that Artemis was in the hospital and that they had been attacked. The blond tried the bond again desperately but still felt the same emptiness as before. It terrified him.


	11. Blood and revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eminence is back so that means Emelie is back to writing with me! Hope you all enjoy it.

“GO!” Draco’s feet started to move on their own accord when the Auror had shouted in his direction. Quickly scrambling to his feet he had bolted towards the exit into Diagon Alley and his heart was already beating out of his chest when he heard the dark wizards’ shouts behind him. In a second of panic, he stood hopelessly in front of the big wall that was between him and the Alley on the other side unsure of what to do before he slapped himself for forgetting that he now had his wand on him. Spellfire could be heard from inside the building followed by shouting as he hastily took out his wand from his robe and tapped the wall, almost tripping in place as he waited for the wall to move enough for him to slip through. People were now tumbling out of the building pushing each other towards the magical wall and Draco just managed to squeeze through the entrance before getting crushed by the masses of bodies. Quickly picking up speed he ran towards the entrance to Knockturn Alley as he had been told, zig-zagging through people on his way and almost tripping over his feet on multiple occasions. The screams of chaos were getting further away from him as he went but it only fuelled his adrenaline more and he pushed his body to keep moving at a fast pace. Finally seeing the all too familiar gate to the dark alley the blond skidded into the street almost crashing into the wall on the opposite side. Not giving himself time to relax he continued on and took the first left as the witch had told him to and almost fell flat on his face when his cloak blew up behind him and went over his face. Fear struck him for a second before he managed to get his cloak off himself and he looked down the small alley to see the shop Auror Blackmoore had told him about. _Sundry, Potions and Glyphs._ The shop looked ordinary enough to Draco, as he went back into a full sprint to get to the door. Praying to everything above that the door was unlocked the blond slammed his body against it, huffing a sigh of relief when it gave in to the weight of him, opening violently. Before assessing the situation inside he turned around and slammed the door shut, pointed his wand to it and shouted. “Colloportus!” Draco heard the door lock with a snap but that was not enough as he started to fire off all the locking charms his late godfather had taught him while Voldemort had been living in the Manor. Next, he pointed to the windows and shouted a charm that made them darken making it impossible for someone from the outside to look into the shop. Hearing movement behind him he turned around in a flash wand raised and stared into the eyes of a surprised tall witch. It took a second for Draco to realise that it was the same witch that had placed the runes on him and for him to remember that she was not a danger to him. The wizard’s legs gave out and he collapsed on the floor, his adrenaline now leaving his body making him shake violently. Looking at the witch he opened his mouth to explain what had happened. “Aa… Artemis… A… Attack… Death... death… Eaters.” It came out as incoherent noise to him and he gave in to his hyperventilating looking at the witch in front of him with desperation. Loftwind knelt down next to him and started to softly stroke his back. “Take your time, breathe. You got the door locked more than tight, you’re safe. No matter the urgency, Artemis can handle the extra minute that takes. Assuming you didn’t lock the door in her face just now, but I doubt that.” Draco looked at the witch coldly while he tried to get his breathing under control. “H…help… hour…” The blond slammed his fist in the floor in frustration that he could not form a coherent sentence yet as he continued to stare at the witch next to him. “I will help any way I can Draco, but right now I need you to just stay there and not bother. There is nobody I trust more than Artemis to get herself into, and out of, trouble.” Draco was about to begin saying something again but was immediately shushed by the tall woman. “Don’t bother please, not yet.” Continuing to look at her coldly he took a few deep breaths finally feeling the shaking subside somewhat. He coughed harshly for a minute before breathing normally again. His brain now registered that his muscles were on fire from the running and he flinched slightly when he tried to get up to a standing position. Noticing him wincing the witch spoke up again. “Looks like you’re feeling it now. Let’s try again, something about Death Eaters, and your something?” Pulling himself up to a standing position and taking a last deep breath he looked at the tall witch seriously. “We were in the Leaky Cauldron when a group of Death Eaters attacked the place. Artemis told me to run here and take cover. If she is not hereafter an hour we need to call for help.” Nervously twiddling his wand in his hand he watched as the expression on the witch changed from worrying to serious. “Ah, hour. You’ve done a bang up job so far, running here and already putting up more locks than I’m even familiar with. Best we can do now is wait, and be prepared for whatever change of plan she throws at us.” Her expression then softened significantly. “Anyway how are you standing already? Give me your arm, let’s go to the kitchen.” Draco looked at her puzzled at the question but let her take his arm and let himself be led towards the back of the shop. He took a quick peek at the door and hoped that all his locking charms would be enough. 

The blond was seated into a chair with a little force behind it and he took his time looking around while Loftwind paced around seemingly looking for something. The room was simple with a few muggle things scattered around. Draco’s eyes landed on what looked like a metal box with what looked like a windowed door. He pondered what it could be used for when the other person in the room let out a sound of triumph as she held up a pink teapot. Raising his eyebrow at her he let out a snort. “You could have Accioed it you know?” Deflating slightly, she went over to fill the kettle. “Old habits die hard. I didn’t grow up around people who do that. Do you want sugar for your tea? And any favourite flavour or just anything?” Well, that explained the muggle things around the place the blond mused to himself before answering. “Earl Grey, two sugars.” Having set the water to boil, Loftwind noticed the young wizard’s wandering eyes. “Feel free to ask about whatever, you wouldn’t be the first and it honestly amuses me a bit to see what parts of my world are foreign here.” Draco eyed the weird metal box in the corner again and pointed to it. “What does that do? Trap something?” The witch chuckled heartily at his guess. “It’s a microwave oven. It cooks a bit faster than a regular oven and doesn’t need to be preheated, but less versatile. Very good for heating up leftovers!” The blond looked at the box slightly fascinated. “So it’s a heating charm in a box?” The blonde witch gave her microwave an interrogating look. “It would be I suppose, if muggles used magic. Instead, w— they keep inventing new ways to bend electricity to their whims.” Judging by her eyes the witch probably understood that the blond had not taken Muggle Studies. Draco nodded in understanding while pointing to the teapot behind her. “Seems like it’s ready.” That same moment the kettle began whistling, indicating that it indeed was. Loftwind got a couple of teacups and started brewing. “There are some marvellous inventions, like the telephone. I find there really isn’t anything quite as convenient in use here on the magical side. Though connecting my own one to the London phone grid from here was an interesting challenge.” The wizard was mostly confused by what the witch was telling him so he started to zone out of the conversation. His mind was filling with worry for the Auror back at the Leaky Cauldron and he wondered how much time had passed while he unconsciously started to bite his lip. Just then a teacup was placed in front of him making him jump slightly. Thankful for the distraction he placed both hands around it, feeling the warmth seeping into his fingers calming him down. “It’s been about fifteen minutes since you arrived, so I reckon it’s been twenty, twenty-five minutes since she sent you off.” Draco looked at the witch hopelessly as he spoke. “It was five to one, what if she doesn’t make it? I should have stayed and helped -” “Nonsense. I feel bad for the fellas, hardly a fair fight for them. You don’t know what that woman is capable of.” Suddenly hit by a morbid curiosity the wizard looked at the tall witch in wonder. He did know what the Auror was capable of but he still wondered if Loftwind was talking about the same thing he was thinking about. “I know what she can do, but what if it fails to happen?” Taken aback slightly, the witch studies his face with interest, seemingly trying to discern what he knew. “Oh ho, I don’t think that’s even what I was talking about… she’s already very powerful without any help. But if that’s not enough, there’s nothing that’s going to _fail_.” The wizard thought back to the morning before and it seemed to him that had been a ‘fail’ of some sorts. Draco studied the witch again, it was clear she knew what he was hinting at. They both had information that the other party did not have and at this point, the blond was prepared to throw caution to the wind. “You know what she is, don’t you? Tell me.” His eyes found hers as he waited for her response. “Cards on the table eh? It’s not my right to divulge her secrets, but you’ve clearly started piecing something together. I’d like to help you, but first I need to know more of what’s going on in that head of yours right now. What happened, what’s your best guess?” The Slytherin had to be careful with what he said at this point but the thought of actually getting information was too tempting to him. “That she is possessed by something and it’s giving her this power.” He looked at her in all seriousness but even to him the theory sounded a little too far fetched but it was the closest thing he could think of. Carefully he took a sip of his tea that was now growing cold waiting for an answer. “I see. You’re not quite on the money, but I could have expected worse theories. She’s more than just any human, and it’s the source of her power, but she’s not possessed. I’m going to have to have a talk with her, I don’t think she quite realises how far her guard has dropped. That woman needs more hugs. Do you think anyone else has noticed anything?” Digesting the new information for a second it made more sense to him. If the Auror was more than a human some of the things he had seen her do made it seem not so impossible. The act of summoning a Patronus from thin air came to mind quickly as that was impossible to do without a wand in hand. Shrugging at the witch he shook is head to her question. “No, not to my knowledge.” The tall witch released the breath of what seemed like relief. “That’s good news at least.” She then rather suddenly shifts from gloomy to cheerful. “Now then, your turn! Spill it!” The Slytherin frowned when he realised he had not gotten away by not telling her what happened. Thinking hard about what to tell he took another sip of tea, it was now completely cold but it went unnoticed to him. “I met the creature first hand and it tried to kill me.” It was a big chance to say this outright, Draco knew this very well but hopefully, Loftwind proved to be a good ally as he held his breath. Loftwind winced at the word ‘creature’, but was soon looked too shocked to care. “Tried to— oh no. How, why? Details Malfoy, what provoked her?” Proud of himself for making the witch use his last name he smirked slightly before answering. “She stayed the night with me, I got woken up by her having a nightmare. Artemis then pounced me, clearly not herself anymore. Had it not been for Auror Thompson entering the room I would not be alive today.” Had the situation been different Draco would have laughed at the witch’s face but he managed to keep his face neutral. “Much as I’d like to I don’t have any say over who she sleeps with, but how the hell did you pull that one off in just a week?” She sighed and rested her head in her palm. "But it had to be a nightmare. I would have liked it if you were less innocent of this right now, but I’ll temper myself. Maybe.” Draco smirked knowingly at her. “Well, I did almost die for it.” “Worth.” Loftwind huffed back at him. The Slytherin was about to reply when a loud crash could be heard from the other room. Jumping out of his seat wand at the ready he motioned to the witch to stay quiet as he started to make his way back to the main floor of the shop.

Draco peeked around the corner carefully to see what had made the sound but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. Perched up against the left wall Auror Blackmoore was struggling to keep herself up, painful groans were coming from her as she moved. Quick on his feet, he ran towards her. “Artemis!” The witch looked at him with glassy golden eyes and she smiled a bit at him. “You made it out alright, good.” Her breathing did not sound right in Draco’s ears as he came closer to her only vaguely registering her eyes. “Are you alright? What happened to the Death Eaters?” The witch smirked slightly at him before replying. “Worse off than me -” The brunette didn’t finish her sentence before grabbing her sides and groaning out in pain. Alarmed Draco took a hold of her and lowered her to the ground carefully. It was then he noticed the blood seeping out from under her fingers. Without asking for permission he pulled her hands away and buttoned up her uniform only to reel back in shock. There was a huge gash over her left side, but there was no cut in her uniform to be seen anywhere. Which would have been impossible with how deep the cut was. The blond swallowed down his nausea when he looked at it closer and saw what must have been bone. This is when it hit him and he met the witch’s eyes with anger. “You Apparated from the Leaky?! They have Anti-Apparating wards! You’re splinched!” The Auror let out what sounded like a laugh. “Only way out I’m afraid.” The blond saw that she was losing consciousness as he waved his wand over her while mumbling healing charms. A veil fell over her as different runes showed up in the air in front of him. Wide eyed he looked at them, she had several broken ribs, a punctured lung and on top of it all, she had splinched herself on the way into the shop. Draco bit his lip in frustration, this only showed him what was wrong on the physical level, he could not tell what kind of curses she had been hit with and how many but he knew that if she didn’t get help and fast the witch would meet Death soon. She was already losing a lot of blood, evidence of the pool forming underneath her. Making the floor a sickly red colour. Suddenly the brunette grew limp next to him and he realised she had lost consciousness. Draco shooed the panic he felt aside at that moment and thought back to everything Snape had taught him about healing magic. It all came back to him in a flash and took a few calming breaths before shouting: “Loftwind! Quickly! Please tell me you have a Blood-Replenishing Potion! I need one, NOW!” Loftwind had just stood stunned by until this point, and was shaken from her stupor by the wizard’s commands. “I— Yes, it’s in my first aid kit!” She turned and ran upstairs, and a few moments later Apparated next to them potion in hand. As she handed it to the blond wizard she muttered to herself: “Stupid, you’re a witch!” She pointed her wand toward the stairs she had just ran up. “Accio first aid kit!” Ignoring the woman’s mumbling Draco took the potion and uncorked it swiftly, then set it aside. Taking a deep breath he placed his wand over the gash in the side and started to say the Vulnera Sanentur, the same incantation that Snape had used on him several years ago. He never believed he would be using it on someone else and hoped that he was remembering correctly. The blond could feel the sweat that was dripping from his brow as he did the third repetition and was relieved to see the wound closing, it could have looked cleaner but it would have to do until they could get more help. Next, he pointed his wand towards the ribs he knew were broken: “Brackium Emendo!” The crack that was heard was sickening but it proved that the spell had worked. Now he had to force the potion down her throat but before he did so he looked at Loftwind. “Go and call St Mungo’s, we need them! NOW. MOVE!” The witch started running toward the bedroom which Draco had seen on their way to the kitchen, but suddenly turned in the doorway and headed up the stairs. “Fuck, fireplace! Not phone!” He heard her yell to herself as the Slytherin was about to scream after the woman to hurry up but turned his attention back to the witch on the floor. He pointed his wand at her again and shouted clearly: “Rennervate!” A sigh of relief left the blond as the witch woke up with a start and started to cough violently. Quickly taking the potion in hand he shoved it against her mouth. “Drink!” Without protest, the brunette did as she was told and swallowed the potion down then proceeded to cough again. She looked at him thankfully while touching his cheek, Draco could feel the sticky blood on her fingers spreading across his face but at that moment did not care. She was awake. “Lay down, Healers are on their way.” He said softly to her while placing her head in his lap carefully. The brunette looked up at him with the same glossy golden eyes as before and the blond wondered if this was the same person as yesterday morning. “I guess we are even now, hm?” The witch’s voice sounded strained which was to be expected by the pain she was going through. The blond could feel tears form as he nodded at her, smiling slightly. Suddenly heavy footsteps could be heard from upstairs and a group of Healers emerged, Loftwind following quickly behind. “Move boy!” One of them shouted at him and he reluctantly followed orders by placing the Auror carefully on the floor before moving out of their way. “Auror Blackmoore, you have to remember to call for backup one of these days.” The witch laughed softly in response to the Healer’s comment.

Everything that followed happened quickly, they managed to get Artemis to St Mungo’s via the floo as they had no other choice. Before anyone protested Draco was quick to follow but he noticed that Loftwind stayed behind either because the connection had closed or that she was too out of it to follow. The Healers had rushed the Auror through countless corridors before disappearing into what Draco assumed was a surgery room. The blond was politely told to wait outside once they had examined that he was not harmed in any way. The young Malfoy was now sitting on a chair feeling sick to his stomach with worry. He had been informed by a nurse that the Auror Department had been notified and they had sent agents to look at the case and he was asked to not go anywhere. Draco assumed that once Blackmoore’s name had come up the Aurors at Hogwarts had been notified and were the ones that were coming. Before he even finished that thought he saw said Aurors coming marching down the corridor led by Auror Thompson and surprisingly followed by Potter. Auror Thompson looked like a cloud of thunder as he stopped in front of him. “Malfoy, what happened.” The look he painted of the case must have been a horrible one as he was covered with blood. Her blood. The boy flinched at the tone the man used but quickly told them what had happened. Potter had at one point seated himself next to him and was patting his shoulder in a friendly manner. Which at the time Draco found strangely soothing, he did not know why Potter had come with the Aurors but he was silently thankful. After he was finished talking the men sprung into action. “Zouch you go to Loftwind’s shop and interrogate her. Zabini go back to the Leaky and see if you can find some evidence of who these Death Eaters were. Silver you sit your ass down where I can see it.” Auror Zouch and Auror Zabini both nodded at their orders and quickly went back the way they came. While Auror Silver looked like he wanted to say something in return but closed his mouth quickly when Auror Thomson gave him a look that could have killed someone. He quietly sat down on one of the chairs opposite of Draco and Potter. The blond studied him and he had to frown at the man’s appearance. His usually neat uniform was slightly dishevelled and he was fidgeting in his seat and the young blond wondered why it was Auror Thompson that was giving the orders when in reality it was Auror Silver that was the leader of the group as far as Draco knew at least. Draco was interrupted by Auror Thompson who held his hand out in front of him. “Your wand.” Reluctantly the blond took out the wand from his robes and gave it to the Auror, it was covered in blood and Draco shivered. The other man looked at him with a softer look in his eye. “Mr Potter, there is a bathroom further down the hall. If you could bring Mr Malfoy there so he can clean up please.” The raven head nodded and he stood up and pulled Draco with him. “Come on Malfoy. Let’s go.” Draco let himself be led by Potter down the hall but he could not help turn to look back at the two Aurors left in the hall. Auror Silver sat with his head in his hands looking like he wanted the floor to swallow him. The other wizard was standing with his arms crossed in front of him with a strict look on his face. He was clearly saying something to the older blond but they must have put up a charm because Draco could not hear anything. Thankfully the bathroom they went into was empty and Potter pushed him gently towards the sinks. The blond looked at himself in horror when he saw his own reflection in the mirror. It seemed that it was not only Auror Silver that looked worse for wear as his own appearance had not been this bad since the battle at Hogwarts. His robes which were miraculously still Glamoured were covered with soot and even though the cloak was black some spots of blood could faintly be seen. It was not as bad as his shirt however which was stained red across his chest and stomach. The blood had dried some time ago but Draco could swear he still felt that it was sticking to his skin. His face was what made him feel the most disgusted, the fingerprints that Auror Blackmoore had left there were still present and his hair was sticking to it from all the sweating he had done. Scowling he tore the robe off and threw it to the floor, using the sink to support himself as he was starting to feel sick. A hand patted him on the back which made him flinch for a second before he remembered the other wizard in the room.

He looked at Potter to his right and raised his eyebrow in question. “Are you alright Malfoy?” The blond snorted at him. “What do you think Potter? Look at me, I’m covered in someone else’s blood and I don’t know if that person is even going to survive the night! No! I am not fine!” He sounded borderline hysterical towards the end but instead of sayings something the green eyed boy just turned on the tap and splashed some water on him. Draco blinked at the shorter wizard shocked while Potter was looking at him with a knowing look. “I can imagine. Just focus on getting cleaned up yeah?” The blond looked at the water for a second before starting to clean his hands feeling guilty for his outburst, the water turned pink as the blood flowed down the drain. He washed his face next and dragged his hands through his hair feeling a little bit more alive as the water dripped down his neck. Frowning he grabbed his shirt wondering what he should do with it. Potter tapped him on the shoulder and Draco met his eyes in the mirror. “Let me?” The raven head was pointing his wand at him and he was suddenly reminded of the fight they had in sixth year. Now without a wand again he was defenceless. Steeling himself he nodded to the other wizard. The raven head mumbled the cleaning charm at him and the blood on the shirt vanished. Breathing a little easier when the other wizard put away his wand he looked at him in thanks. Potter grinned at him. “Thought I was gonna vanish your clothes or something?” Despite himself, Draco smirked at the other wizard. “Something you would like I assume?” The saviour grinned even wider at him then before laughing. “Were you always this perverted?” The blond smirked. “I am a Slytherin, Potter. What do you think we do down in the dungeons on our days off? Read?” Draco counted it as a win when the shorter wizards face turned red and his eyes turned bigger than an owl’s. The blond picked up his robe off the floor then and frowned slightly before simply hanging it over his arm.

Suddenly loud screaming could be heard from the hallway and both boys looked at each other in alarm. Potter being closest to the door pushed it open quickly and went outside, the blond following closely. They both saw Auror Thompson holding Auror Silver in an iron grip preventing him from what looked like beating the Healer in front of him. The blond Auror was shouting at the other man loudly and they could easily hear what was said. “What do you mean she is not waking up?! What did you do?!” Draco felt a chill run down his spine from what the other wizard was shouting and began sprinting down the corridor, Potter following close behind him. He looked at the Healer in panic. “What happened to Auror Blackmoore?” The wizard looked at him confused for a second before he sighed annoyed at them all. “Like I just told Auror Silver she has apparently put herself in a magical coma. No matter what we have tried she is not waking up. Her wounds are healing just as they should be and will be fully healed in a week if I were to guess. But all we can do is wait.” The young Slytherin swayed a bit on the spot, and felt Potter put his hand on his shoulder again to support him. “W… was it something I did?” The Healer looked at him puzzled. “Pardon?” He swallowed thickly before answering. “I used multiple healing charms on her before you came and got her. I also administered a Blood-Replenishing potion to her.” The wizard looked at him impressed. “That was you? No, no, those were expertly done, my boy! Had it not been for your wand work she would be in a much worse state than this. The magical coma must be something of her own doing. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what it could be done for. Sadly to say all we can be is patient and before I forget this was among her personal belongings, I have no clue why she had a Slytherin tie on her person, however.” The Healer handed the tie to Auror Silver who just looked at it confused. “Well, then gentlemen I have other patients to attend to.” The wizard walked down the hall most likely on his way to the next patient as he had mentioned and the other wizards watched him go in silence. When he had turned around a corner Auror Silver stared at Draco with a cold look. “Is this yours?” The younger blond nodded. “Why did Artemis have it?” Auror Thompson grabbed the older blonds shoulder again. “Silver calm down. She obviously altered his clothes before they left the Ministry. Even his robes are Glamoured.” Draco nodded hastily at the Auror pair and he could see Auror Silver’s shoulders relax somewhat but he let out a huff when he handed Draco the tie.

Auror Silver pried himself out of the other Auror’s grip then. The man looked like he was about to be sick as he sat down in a chair heavily pulling at his hair. Draco clutched the tie in his fist while he put it in his pocket for safekeeping and looked surprised at Potter when the other boy asked Auror Thompson a question. “Can we go into her room, Sir?” The auburn haired Auror looked at them both giving his partner a critical look before nodding at them. “Follow me.” The wizard started to walk down the hall at a slow pace. Draco gave Potter a thankful look as they both followed after him. The saviour smiled softly at him in return once again patting his shoulder and once again the blond found himself grateful for the shorter wizard’s presence. After turning a corner they came to a room that had a window facing the hall which made it so you could clearly see into the room. Draco froze in place when he saw the witch laying in the bed, surrounded by all kinds of monitoring spells. She looked peaceful somewhat, her dark hair flowing over the pillow like a princess in a fairy tale. The Auror opened the door for them and gestured them to enter. His face did not reveal what he actually was feeling but the blond could tell that this was not easy for the man. Seeing his partner this way had to be painful, no matter how professional you were. His thoughts floated back to the tattoo the wizard possessed and he wondered if it had reacted somehow when the witch had gotten hurt earlier. Meeting the man’s eye as he got pushed in the door by Potter he saw a lake of emotions. “Are you ok, Sir?”. The wizard’s eyes turned glossy for a second before he looked at the brunette sleeping. ”Let’s just say Mr Malfoy, that sometimes I really hate my job.” With that the wizard left them both alone in the room, closing the door behind him as he left. “It has to be tough on them. I know what it is like to see a friend in this state.” The Saviour sat down on one of the chairs placed out next to the bed and he studied the witch with interest. Draco had no answer to this and simply seated himself on the chair on the other side of the witch. Both of them were silent for a long time before the raven head broke the quiet of the room with a simple question yet something the blond was not prepared to answer. “You love her right, Malfoy?” Vibrant green eyes met stormy grey ones. There was no teasing in the other boy's eyes, it was a serious question. Draco sighed, for once at loss for words. A crush was evident, but to go as far to call it love? He clenched his fist when the scene of the Auror pair kissing by the lake came to mind, it was definitely jealousy he was feeling. He tried picturing himself with her in different ways, waking up each morning, eating dinner, cuddling by the fireplace with a glass of wine. His heart sank in his chest as he moved his eyes from Potter and towards the sleeping witch. The realisation hit him hard as he understood that Potter had been right. He was in love with her, how had that happened? She looked like she was sleeping soundly, her face relaxed and breathing softy. The runes that were floating over her head were calm and the ones monitoring her heartbeat were slowly shifting colours, signalling that everything was normal. Putting on a mock smirk he answered the saviour. “Jealous Potter?” The boy snorted at him in return. “Typical Slytherin answer. Why can’t you just admit it Malfoy?” Draco huffed back at him. “Typical Gryffindork getting their noses into everyone’s business. What’s it to you Potter?” Draco looked at the other wizard again now with a glare on his face. The raven head simply shrugged. “After she came to school you’ve changed. You’re back to being the old Malfoy again. Snarky, posh, proud, the prince of Slytherin. But the venom is gone, take us for example. We are having a conversation right now and none of us have punched the other yet.” The boy grinned at Draco as he rolled his eyes at the golden boy. Admittedly he did have a point, no matter how rudely he had said it. Both of them had been friendlier towards each other and the other wizard was even here keeping him company. If someone had told Draco that he would find himself in this situation in the past he would have laughed in their faces. He sighed before answering.“ She told me one night that I should stop apologising and starting acting like the Slytherin I am. It left an impression bigger than I thought. As much as it pains me to say this Potter you are right, I do love this woman.” Now that he said that out loud he slowly started to freak out, one thing was thinking it, but admitting it out loud was something completely different. Dragging his fingers through his hair he closed his eyes for a second. “I’m so fucked.” He mumbled to himself and his eyes met Potters again. The raven head looked at him with pride evident on his face. “Wow! I never thought I would hear Draco Malfoy say that I was right in something. I have to watch this back in a Pensieve just to make sure I heard right.” Draco rolled his eyes at him but he could not contain the smile on his face as the other wizard started to laugh. After he had calmed down he looked at the blond with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Malfoy. I won’t tell anyone about it.” The blonde nodded in thanks as the raven head started to giggle softly. “But you are really fucked. I heard about the snogging session Auror Blackmoore and Auror Silver had in the garden earlier today, heard you saw it too right?” Draco nodded with a scowl. “I wish you, luck mate, seems like you are going to need it.” Twice in one day, the blond had to agree with the raven head in front of him. He needed all the luck he could get at this point he thought as he softly took a hold of the witch’s hand, caressing it softly.

Suddenly the store was once again empty. Quiet. Eminence had simply stood by as the Healers and Draco all rushed through her fireplace with the wounded witch. With the dust settling and the fire dying down, she finally had a moment to process what just happened inside her home. “Oh god, I hope I helped. Please be ok Arty.” she mumbled to herself. She turned sharply toward the stairs and headed back down to the shop. “Great. Let’s see what abject nonsense we’re dealing with down here! And how much of it I can even touch.” Her store looked like significantly more than one person had died in there. There was a large pool of blood underneath the desks, which for good measure were toppled over so they could soak up even more of it. “Bloody… blood. Fucking up my tables, and I’ve lost about a week’s worth of glyph scrolls. Please be ok.” the witch growled. Her eyes wander to the darkened front windows and further to the thoroughly sealed door. “I can take a crack at that one at least. Exactly what’s holding my door shut isn’t going to be relevant for the investigation.” She starts by removing the shadows, letting what little sunlight she normally gets back in, and spent a solid ten minutes analysing and breaking locks on the door before giving up. “Wow, I wish I knew what kind of spell I just unlocked. Where did he learn all these? Man couldn’t even breathe when he cast them!” She turned back to lament the papers sticking out of the pool of blood. Then she saw an unbroken vial lying near the edge. “Can’t really ask for your consent this time can I Arty? Then again, not like you’re gonna use this again.” Carefully gathering up some of the blood, she stowed the vial in the inner pocket of her robe. The deed done, she Accioed a chair from the kitchen as well as some paper, ink and a quill that wasn’t drenched in blood, sat herself down in the middle of the room and started taking inventory of the damages.

Heavy footsteps could be heard from the floor above her signalling that the Ministry had sent a troupe of Aurors to investigate. Soon enough five Aurors came down the stairs and Eminence looked up in surprise when she saw that it was Septimus that was leading them. The witch had not seen the wizard for a long time and never in this type of setting. He looked like a different person as he scanned the room around her and was quick to give orders to the others before turning his full attention to her. “Miss Loftwind. A pleasure to see you again, it is a shame that it is during this kind of situation I have to admit.” Before she could answer a magical quill and parchment showed up next to his head and immediately started to write things down. The wizard ignored it and instead he held out his hand for her to take so that she could stand up. Her hands being full, she smiled sheepishly before abruptly standing up on her own. “How is Artemis!?” Letting his hand drop to his side casually he gave her a reassuring smile. “She is going to make it. Now shall we take this conversation somewhere else? I have quite a few questions I need to ask you, standard procedure.” Eminence could feel the tension in her body leave her. “Of course. It has been a spell hasn’t it? We can continue this in the kitchen.” He nodded at her before turning to one of the Aurors that was busy looking at the blood on the floor. “Auror Raleigh, you are in charge.” “Yes, Sir.” Smiling at her again the wizard motioned her to show the way. Once they entered the kitchen Septimus seated himself in the same chair that Draco had been sitting in only hours before. “Tea?” The wizard shook his head politely. “Would not be fair to the others I’m afraid, but be my guest.” The witch busied herself with putting on the kettle for the second time that day while she tried to calm her nerves. Septimus seemed different like this, too polite and distant. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye she could see the quill writing something even though nothing was being said and the wizard himself had leaned back into his chair and crossed his legs. The silence was soon interrupted by the whistling from the water boiling and Eminence quickly prepared her teacup and sat down opposite of Septimus. Pointing to the quill she asked: “Is that doing anything productive, or just doodling? Because I’ve been considering if I could make one do that.” Looking at the quill he smirked. “It is my best partner in the field.”

Still seated in the same relaxed position he looked at her with a calculating look. “Ready, Miss Loftwind?” She nodded first at the quill, then at Septimus. “Perfect, when about did Mr Malfoy get here?” “Half past eleven some time. Absolutely ragged, took several minutes to catch his breath enough to speak.” The quill wrote faster now seemingly excited for something to do. “Understandable, where were you located when he arrived?” The blonde amused herself by observing the quill speeding up and slowing down with the flow of the conversation. “Got myself covered in chalk dust working on something that’s gone now, so I took a shower. I was brushing my hair in the bedroom through there when he tackled down my front door. Which doesn’t open now by the way, Draco knows a surprising array of locking and sealing spells. Might need some help with that eventually. Not that I don’t invite the challenge of course, I undid a few of the simpler ones earlier.” Septimus got a slight smirk on his face by the mention of the front door before turning serious again. “Auror Raleigh, a word please.” He had not spoken loudly but the other wizard had somehow heard him anyway as he showed himself in the door. “You called, Sir?” Looking politely at the other Auror he nodded. “Take a look at Miss Loftwind’s front door, will you? It seems Mr Malfoy have put some more classified locking spells on it.” The wizard nodded in understanding before disappearing again. “The damages to your store will, of course, be compensated by the Ministry, Miss Loftwind.” Septimus said with a smile after looking at her again. “Now, it seems you have already partly answered this question but did Mr Malfoy do any other magic when he was here?” “Yes, he also performed first aid on Artemis. Let’s see what spells I can remember, at least Vulnera Sanentur, that one’s easy to recognise. Oh, and what’s it called… Brackium Emendo! I remember the noise more than the spell. Pretty sure he did more, but it escapes me.” His face turned to that of disgust for a second before he continued. “Seems like he knows quite the assortments of high level spells. Good for my colleague in this instance but I digress. I assume some time passed between these two events? What did you and Mr Malfoy do during this time?” The witch was about to answer as a younger Auror, a junior it seemed on the uniform came into view from the hall. He was shifting nervously from foot to foot and waited patiently for permission to speak. Septimus looked at him with a polite smile. “Yes?” The young Auror continued to shift his weight around before clearing his throat. “We have confirmed that all the b... blood is Auror Blackmoore’s, Sir.” The Senior Auror nodded at him. “Good, now make sure that everything gets cleaned up properly. There shall be no traces of it. Understand?”. He was still smiling that somewhat foreboding smile at the poor man, who in turn quickly nodded at the order and left to go back to the shop floor. The wizard turned his attention back to Eminence then, still looking overly professional. “Can’t have an high ranked Auror’s blood on the loose, who knows what it might be used for. You understand clearly.” She nodded quickly steeling herself from feeling the weight of the vial in its pocket. “We had tea. I took my time calming him down with small talk, waiting for Artemis. She had told him to wait for up to an hour for her arrival before raising the alarm. You know, it surprises me how few wizards know what a microwave is, he thought it was some sort of trap! He was quite hard to pin down, very eager to get back to try and help her. I still stand by what I said to him, despite how it all turned out: there is nobody I trust more than Artemis to get herself into, and out of, trouble. On that note, Draco knows a lot more than I expected. He theorised that she’s possessed, but I found that a bit too troubling and told him he’s off the mark, that her power is something else about what she is. Ended up calling her a beast instead, the nerve. Oh by. the. way! Aren’t Aurors forbidden from sleeping with their contractor or something? Maybe that’s what gave her nightmares. I can only hope.” The quill was writing at the highest speed Eminence had seen so far as she talked. The wizard’s expression changed from neutral to slight amusement by the end. “How interesting. Well, there is no strict rule saying that you can _not_ sleep with a contractor but generally you do try to keep things professional. What brought this on then?”

Suddenly a Patronus in the shape of a chameleon came skittering over the floor, it quickly climbed up the Auror’s leg and up to his shoulder. It seemed to be whispering something in his ear. Eminence tried to hear what was being said but it was too quiet. She watched as the professional mask slipped for one second and was replaced by worry. Had she blinked she probably would have missed it. But his face turned quickly professional again and brushed off the Patronus like you would brush off dust from a coat and made it vanish. “Pardon the interruption Miss Loftwind. Do continue.” Eminence blinked twice, filing away the worried look for a later conversation. “He said they slept together and he woke up to her trying to murder him, gold eyes style. Still surprising that he lived honestly. Thank Cyril for a good job for me?” The wizard seemed to be thinking about something for a minute before he answered. “I will pass the word on to Auror Thompson for you. Now, to my last question before I leave you for the day Miss Loftwind. What did you do in the short time you found yourself alone?” “I did a round visually inspecting the scene for myself before spending a while trying to break the spells on the front door. After that, I sat down to itemise the losses, which is how you found me. Stroke of luck honestly, I was not in a mindset to consider I could get that comped by the ministry, but now that I do I suppose I should hand the list to you.” She then Accioed the parchment she’d left on the chair in the other room, by the sound of it startling one of the inspectors. Septimus stood up from his chair while he took the parchment in hand. “Not my department, I am afraid but I will pass it on to the proper authority for you. That concludes the questions I had to ask you, Miss Loftwind. I will take my leave as I have other things to attend to but my subordinates will have to stay until they are finished. I can guarantee that they are working as quickly as they can. It was nice to see you again, Eminence. Good day.” Eminence smiled warmly at the man. “Good day Ace. It’s been a pleasure.”


	12. Agony

Three days. Three agonising days. His usually well-styled hair was standing up in odd angles from him constantly raking hands through it in frustration. The wizard’s face were also plagued by a five o’clock shadow as he had not shaved in days. The nurses at St Mungo’s had kicked him out earlier that morning with orders of getting some rest. Understandable as he had not slept or eaten anything and still insisted on staying by the comatose witch’s side. Orion was now sitting by his desk, head in his hands reading Zacharias’s report from the Leaky Cauldron on the day of the attack. The five Death Eaters had all managed to flee the scene before the Aurors had gotten to the pub, all that was left was the destruction they had left behind. Some of Artemis’s blood had been found on the scene and they had deduced that she had tried multiple times to get out through the Anti-Apparating wards before finally succeeding. The ward itself had barely held its place but it was severely damaged and had to be redone. According to Zacharias, the pub itself suffered a lot of damage, it looked like a war had been raging inside. Thankfully there had been minimal civilians being hurt, as most of them had either fled outside or taken cover behind their own shielding wards. The dark Auror had questioned most of them when arriving to the scene. None of them had seen the faces of the criminals, but they all agreed that the masks they wore seemed like the real deal. There had been a couple who thought they saw some of them escape through the streets of London, but the Aurors had found no trace of anyone. Tom the innkeeper had verified that Artemis had been there with what he thought was an Auror Trainee and that the young man had managed to escape through the back door and hopefully made it out to Diagon Alley. Zacharias had chosen not to correct the man in his beliefs as it was easier. How he had not realised who the young wizard was none of their concern. Orion read the report over and over in hopes of finding a detail that he had missed but it was still the same. In frustration he slid his hands over his desk making everything crash to the floor, the sounds of breaking glass and fluttering papers filled the room for a second before going silent. The portrait opened suddenly and Zacharias walked in, he gave Orion a surprised look as he silently went over to his desk to sit down. Looking at the mess on the floor he took out his wand and casually spelled it back into order. “You look like a bloody mess, mate.” The blond gave him a sour look but said nothing. “Finally got kicked out of the hospital heh?” Again Orion only looked at the man, not bothering to answer. The other man sighed loudly as he placed his feet up on his desk. “She will be fine mate, you know this.” Anger boiled dangerously beneath his skin as he clenched his fists together. “How would you know?” The other wizard frowned at him and shrugged. “I just know, she’s a tough witch.” Something in Orion snapped as he got up from his chair in anger, looking at the man with killing intent. “You just know?! _You just know?!_ Don’t give me that bullshit! What are you even doing here? Get back out there and do your fucking job!” In all the past years the two wizards had been friends Orion had never shouted like this to Zacharias and the other man looked at him with shock before he seemed to calm himself. In response, he held up his hands in defeat and locked his eyes to Orion. “Listen King. I understand that you are on edge because she ended herself in a coma and all. We are all worried for her. But no need to take that tone mate. I am just back ‘cus I needed a break.” Orion’s heart was beating fast in his chest and he slowly sat down again. 

The room was quiet for a few minutes before the other wizard spoke up again. “Do you remember one of the first cases we had as newly appointed Aurors? The case were Prince was bait for that kidnapper that had kidnapped whoever the fuck’s kid in the Ministry? Back then you were totally calm, not even the slightest worried. What is different now?” The blond wizard looked at his friend in wonder for a second before he remember the case he was referring to. It was their first year on the job and one of their first real cases. Some wizard had been accused of kidnapping a high official in the Ministry’s child but had appeared not guilty every time something came across him. Artemis had been appointed to be the bait and was to take down the place from the inside. In the end, it was the wizard that they had suspected and Artemis had kept him under wand point until backup had arrived. He had been worried back then of course, but he had no reason to show it because of the bond. It had been fully open, they trusted each other back then. That was before all the lies, the secrets and the uncertainties. Orion gripped his hair again and let out a growl of frustration. “King?” The blond slammed his hands on his desk and stood up again. “I CAN’T FEEL HER! I have been bonded to her for ten years and suddenly now I feel nothing! That is the big difference! At least back then I knew exactly what she was feeling and that she was fine!” The blond was breathing hard and his heart felt like it was going to explode from the anger outburst. The other wizard had gotten out of his chair and had walked up to him, grabbing his shoulder. “I’m sorry Orion. I can’t understand how you feel. But I know that if Artemis saw you right now she would scold you for not looking like ‘the Slytherin King you are’” Zacharias grinned at him and Orion had to give him a small smile back. He was then pushed towards the bedroom by the taller man. “Now go take a shower and shave. Like I said you look like a bloody mess mate.” The blond decided not to fight his friend on that and made his way towards the bathroom going by his trunk to get a fresh uniform as he went. Secured in the bathroom he shed off his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. Zacharias had been right, he did look bloody awful. If Artemis could see him now she would indeed scold him. Orion smiled a sombre smile to his reflection as he turned on the water. The blond just stood under the spray for a few minutes before he started to wash himself for real. He took time to think as the room filled with fog, for what felt like the thousandth time that day alone he felt around for Artemis with the bond. Nothing. Slamming his fist against the shower wall he could feel tears threatening to fall. He had forgotten how it was to not share his feelings with someone, it made him feel constantly on edge and he hated himself for not making up with Artemis when he had the chance. She had said that they would put it behind them for now but that did not mean he was forgiven for what he had done. The tears started to run down his cheek as a sob escaped him and he slid down to the shower floor. Watching as the water ran down the drain in a rapid whirlpool.

Draco’s eyes were owlishly big from what he had just heard. He had been told by Auror Zouch to come by the Aurors’ office after dinner and had walked straight there, avoiding most students on his way. The Aurors had taught him quite a few shortcuts through the castle so that he could navigate it by himself now that Auror Blackmoore was in the hospital. They still took turns following him to class however and he knew that most of the time Auror Thompson was around but not seen as the wizard favoured using invisibility potions. As he had arrived in front of the painting of Salazar Slytherin the old man had told him that it was not a wise time to enter. But after he had seen that he was of the proud Slytherin house he had opened the way just enough so that Draco could listen in without tripping the eavesdropping hex. Up until this point, the blond had believed that it was Auror Thompson that was the witch’s Master, if she even had any. But now that he knew that she was bonded to Auror Silver that theory shifted somewhat, could she be bonded to one but branded with another? If the ritual had been changed anyway it could be possible he thought. As he heard the door to what had to be the Aurors’ bedroom close he was about to enter the office but was stopped by someone clicking their tongue behind him. Freezing slightly, Draco swallowed thickly as he turned around. His eyes met Auror Thompson and Auror Zouch in turn. The second Auror looked at him with a glint in his eye and a smile that sent shivers down Draco’s spine. “My my, snooping again Mr Malfoy?” Auror Thompson had the same wolf grin plastered on his face as the time they had met in the bedroom. Again the blond swallowed thickly a little unsure of what to do. It was obvious that both the wizards had caught him red-handed and there was little use in lying. “The painting was slightly open.” He peeked to the old wizard in the frame but frowned when he saw that he had disappeared. “Not that it matters much, follow us, Mr Malfoy, we need to have a chat. This way please.” Auror Zouch sounded way too professional, it was a voice that Draco had not heard before and it worried him. He looked to Auror Thompson who kept grinning at him and pointed down the hall. The blond started to walk and was quickly followed by the other men which led him into the trophy room that was a few paces down from the office. Once inside the shorter wizard sealed the door shut as Auror Thompson and himself got each other seated on their own chairs. It was obvious that the men had prepared for this beforehand. The wizard was still grinning at him like he had caught his prey and for the first time when these men had been in his presence, he felt unsafe. When the other Auror was also seated they both looked at him with polite smiles. “Now, Mr Malfoy. I am going to be straightforward with you. You have been gathering information about our dear Artemis correct?” The blond met Auror Zouch’s eyes bravely and nodded. There was no use in lying at this point. Especially not to this man who had the biggest information network in the whole country. The man probably knew more about most people than they knew about themselves. For all Draco knew they had dragged him in here just to confirm what they knew. The Auror’s eyes glinted again knowingly. “You are probably aware that you are at risk of being Obliviated correct?” The young Malfoy flinched slightly but managed to remain calm as he nodded again. Auror Thompson twiddled his wand around his fingers nonchalantly clearly showing he was ready to take aim. “Now we will ask some simple questions and hopefully you will choose to tell the truth. Yes or no will suffice. For now.” Auror Zouch said. Draco tried to swallow but his throat felt like it was filled with sand. “Yes, Sir” He managed to get out after a few tries and he was met with foreboding smiles from both of the Aurors. Auror Zouch materialised a magic quill seemingly from thin air that immediately started to write even before anything was said. 

“Good. The first question, you have seen how she looks wit h out a Glamour, correct?” 

“Yes, Sir.” Auror Thompson raised an eyebrow towards the other man ’ s direction, but the wizard pa i d him no mind and continued with the questions.

“Did you do research on the Glamour charm in the library?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Did you find out what the branding mark could signify?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do you know if she has a Master?”

“No, Sir.” Both of the Auror’s seemed to relax at that information,  and Draco found it odd of them to ask such a thing as this now confirmed that she indeed _had_ a Master.  However, the blond wizard could not help looking at Auror Thompson a little longer than necessary. He had not reacted in any particular fashion so it seemed that they did not know that he had a theory that he was the Master at all. Which in the end might be a good thing Draco reasoned.  Auror Zouch looked at him strictly again soon enough however and it seemed he was nowhere near done with the questions.

“Do you know why she has a branding mark in the first place?”

“Maybe, Sir.” Again Auror Thompson raised an eyebrow towards his colleague, but as before the other wizard paid him no mind. “Is it true that Miss Loftwind told you something that gave you more of an understanding?” Draco looked at the Auror Informant now and studied him in return. The man seemed to have expected this as he leaned back in his chair, waiting patiently for an answer. The blond recalled that the Auror had been sent over to Loftwind to interrogate her on the day of the attack and the witch must have told him something about the talk the two had earlier the same day. He peeked a look at the other Auror who was looking at him with the look of a predator, it was obvious that these two were a dangerous team. One that asked directly and one that attacked from the shadows. Draco praised Salazar that Auror Thompson had shown mercy by at least being visible. “She told me that Auror Blackmoore is something more than a human, but she is not possessed in any way. On the contrary, she is the one that feeds on the power.” The sky blue eyes of Auror Zouch studied him for a long time before he seemed satisfied with the answer. “You don’t seem to be scared of her in any way even though you saw her more dangerous side just a short time ago. I can assure you that had it not been for Auror Thompson here you would be deceased. A few people have lived after, a so-called ‘experience’ shall we say.” Draco knew full well this to be true, but now he could not shake the hunch that maybe Auror Thompson could be the one that was her Master after all. Even though he had just gotten confirmation that she was bonded to Auror Silver which made their relationship more confusing to Draco. He had seen them kissing with his own eyes, yes, but their everyday demeanour was that of dripping poison. Especially the first week they had arrived at school. The blond knew that people had accidentally bonded to each other on many occasions and if a bond first stuck it was impossible to separate it. Had it happened on a mission? The witch seemed close to all of the men in their party, sure, but it seemed to the blond that the relationship between Auror Thompson and herself was different. The man had more or less threatened him the other day when he had asked him if he had a crush on the brunette. What’s more, was the fact that the auburn haired wizard had found her first when he had been attacked, but the bond should have warned Auror Silver that something was wrong. Maybe the brand was overpowering the bond in some way and if that was the case Draco wondered for a second what had happened first, the bonding ritual or the branding ritual. The blond looked over to the other Auror in the room then. “I don’t think I ever thanked you properly Auror Thompson. Thank you for saving my life that day.” The Auror just rolled his eyes at him while grinning. "Part of the job.” 

Auror Zouch cleared his throat and made eye contact with the young Malfoy again. “Why are you not scared of her Mr Malfoy?” The blond thought back to the conversation he had with the witch in the Aurors’ office the same day when she had attacked him. All that went through his head then was his newfound jealousy and that he did not care about what in the world she was, he trusted her. Especially now that he knew the jealousy came from love. He saw no reason to lie at this point as he shrugged slightly. “She showed me mercy when I needed it and her touch has been careful and caring for the past weeks. No matter what I tell her she listens seriously before answering, not always straightforward perhaps, but she gives me an answer that I can somehow accept. It was that way when she showed me her scars. I… I was ashamed of the Sectumsempra scar I bear, and instead of showing me pity, she got angry. ‘I was lucky’ she said and that I was not deserving of her pity. To prove a point she showed me all the scars she bears on her everyday. She gave me her trust instead of her pity and I decided to do the same in return. I am convinced that she would never hurt me like that if she was sane. I know that she also felt guilty for hurting Auror Thompson in the process. You didn’t see her face when she came into the shop Sir, she was relieved to see that _I_ was alright, even if _she_ was the one that was hurt so terribly. I… I am terrified that she will die and it will be all my fault.” Without him noticing tears had started to fall from his eyes and the two wizards in front of him had both gotten a softer look on their faces. All the agony, shame, guilt and worry that he had suppressed the last three days came flooding out and he soon found himself sobbing loudly. Draco had started to take Dreameless draughts every night to make sure that the Aurors got to do their job and didn’t have to worry about him. Not that he was sure if they would even notice he needed help. The witch had not told him how she knew when to arrive every night and if it was because of her powers the other Aurors would not be able to help him so urgently without sleeping in the same room as him. The young blond had also buried himself in homework to keep his mind busy with something. He had even started going to the study groups that Granger had arranged in the library. Him being the only Slytherin had been weird in the beginning but with some scowling from Potter, the rest had come around. Granger had also put a stop to all questions about his involvement in the attack in the Leaky Cauldron blaming it on that it was not part of the school curriculum. His hands were shaking violently and it felt like his heart was going to break. One of the wizards had walked behind him and placed his hands on Draco’s shoulders softly. He heard the sound of a chair moving closer and a potion bottle was thrust into his hands. Confused, he looked up and found Auror Zouch’s sky blue eyes looking at him in a friendly manner. “Calming draught.” He simply said and gestured Draco to drink it. The hands on his shoulders squeezed reassuringly and he took a deep breath before downing the potion. The effect was almost immediate and he felt himself relax significantly. “I only have one last question for you Mr Malfoy. Did you recognise any of the voices of any of the Death Eaters that day?” The blond thought about it for a quick second before shaking his head. Auror Zouch nodded in understanding before the man’s whole demeanour seemed to change. His expression returned to that familiar friendliness that he showed in the Great Hall at breakfast and when he had followed Draco to his classes. The magical quill also vanished and he looked up at his partner who was still standing behind Draco, with his hands on his shoulders. “Anything you want to add Cyril?” The man let go of Draco to move to his partners left. His eyes locked with the young blond. “Listen, Mr Malfoy. Artemis does not, will not, blame you for any of this. This is not her first mission by far and truth be told we are all worried but she has always been able to pull through. Remember that.” The Auror had a knowing look in his eyes now, but Draco could see the pain and worry that was evident on the surface of his eyes and only nodded in response. The wizard seemed happy with the answer and went to open the door only to proceed outside immediately. Auror Zouch who was still seated in front of Draco chuckled at his colleague. “The man speaks the truth. He does not lie, not anymore at least.” The blond looked at him quizzically but the older wizard just winked at him in return. The Auror stood up from his seat and smiled again to the young blond. “I did not ask because I know you heard the conversation my colleagues had in our office before Cyril and myself ambushed you so rudely. We will give you the courtesy of trust as you told us the truth so fluently just now. I hope you will use this information wisely Mr Malfoy.” The young wizard looked up at the man dumbfounded and he got a laugh in return. “Shall we go to the kitchen? Calming draught might help but I find nothing really surpasses a hot cup of cocoa at times like this.” Still dumbfounded the boy nodded and hurried after the older wizard as he had started to walk ahead of him.

Orion had finally finished cleaning himself up after the mental breakdown and was now clean-shaven and looked more presentable overall than he had done for the last three days. He had to admit that he felt better now that he was wearing fresh clothes. It was way past dinner time and he frowned to himself in the bathroom mirror when he could not recall the last time he ate. With a sigh, he decided to go down to the kitchen to get Mips to cook something up for him, even though he had been back at Hogwarts for almost two weeks already he had not been down to the kitchen once. But he did not doubt that the little elf would recognise him. In passing he wondered if anyone had told the little creature that Artemis was in the hospital and decided that if it didn’t come up he would not mention it. Going into the office he noticed it was empty and scowled. Hopefully, Zacharias had not taken what he said too much to heart and was out overworking himself. One partner in the hospital was one partner too many. Walking at a slow pace towards the kitchen he studied the walls as he went and was reminded of the first night he had met Artemis. It had been up on the fifth floor if he recalled correctly. Everything was so different then and he wondered if what would have happened to the witch if he hadn’t gotten too curious to let it go. He suddenly laughed to himself when he realised that even to this day he did not know how she had managed to hide him from Peeves. If he saw the ghost he would have to ask him about it. There were few students walking the hall as most had gone back to their common rooms to start their homework for the day, but Orion was not surprised to find Potter and his friend Weasley in the hall on their way somewhere. They both stopped when they saw him and waited for him to get closer before the Weasley boy nudged Potter in the arm. “Come on mate, ask him!” Out of curiosity, Orion stopped in front of Potter to wait for what he was going to ask. “Ah, um… Auror Silver, Sir. I was wondering if Auror Blackmoore is alright? You haven’t showed yourself at school the last few days and Malfoy seemed kind of out of it.” After the raven head had finally gotten his question out Orion had to smile at the boy. He had momentarily forgotten that the Saviour had insisted on coming with them to the hospital after he had learned that Malfoy was nowhere to be found at school. Somehow the two boys had found a middle ground to form a friendship on and it seemed to benefit them both in a way. “Sadly she is still in a coma Mr Potter, but I appreciate you asking. I also want to thank you for watching over Mr Malfoy, in your own way.” The blond Auror had to bite back a laugh when the raven head looked at him with wide green eyes. The fact that Potter had the Marauder’s Map was not a secret to any of them. The Headmistress had also told them that he had it but he was allowed to keep it now that he was technically an adult and saving the world probably had something to do with it. The raven head blushed slightly while looking confused at the taller wizard. Weasley looked equally confused behind him and Orion settled with just smiling to them both and continue on his way. “Must have gone mad while he was gone that one… Ouch!” Could be heard as he walked away and he had to wonder if Weasley was right in that aspect. 

Another surprise was waiting for the blond as he entered the kitchen and found Septimus and Malfoy seated at the table in the back. They were both locked in a conversation about different effects that cocoa had on the mood for some reason Orion could not understand and wondered in a fleeting second if Septimus was in the middle of one of his schemes. Both of them noticed him however when he got closer. His partners face changed from humour to worry when he saw him. “King? What are you doing here?” The tall blond sat down next to the young Malfoy before he answered. “I am starving. Got thrown out of the hospital. But you knew that already Ace. Why are you two down here?” He watched as a smirk spread on the other Auror’s face and his eyes glinted of amusement. “Having some cocoa of course, want a cup? Mips is around here somewhere. Want a refill, Mr Malfoy?” The young blond nodded politely. Orion sighed at his partner's sweet tooth but nodded. “Mips!” In a couple of seconds, the little elf came running from behind some stoves looking eager as ever. “Yes, pretty bird friend?” Orion had to snort when he heard the name that the elf used for Septimus, which in turn got her to notice the new guest in the kitchen. Her eyes widened comically as she looked at him before bowing deeply. “Your majesty! You’re also here! All of Misses friends are here! What joy!!” The house elf started to dance around on the spot as Septimus, in turn, snorted at his nickname. Malfoy was sitting there looking confused at the show in front of him. “You majesty want something to drink too? Mips will bring it!” Orion smiled at the little eager creature. “Something to eat as well please.” Nodding so fast that she thought her head was going to pop off she went quickly back to where she had come from. Septimus started to laugh for real now as he looked after the elf. “Seems like we were forgotten, Mr Malfoy. Nothing beats a King it seems.” Orion rolled his eyes at his partner, while the young blond chuckled next to him. He studied the young boy next to him from the corner of his eye. He seemed shaken but he had to agree with Potter that he looked out of it. He had obviously been taking Sleeping Draught every night as Orion could easily recognise the symptoms of overuse. The young blond's eyes looked like they had been drained of colour and they appeared glossy. His hands were also shaking slightly and the skin seemed the colour of ash. Not that he could be blamed for this as he had been in the middle of the whole affair. “How are you doing Mr Malfoy?” He asked casually. The boy froze for a second before looking at the Auror in front of him. Septimus just smiled at him in return and Orion raised his eyebrow at them. “I am better now that I’ve talked to Auror Zouch, Sir. What about yourself?” Orion understood now, it seemed that the sky blue eyed Auror had taken it upon himself to sort out the problems the young Malfoy was facing it his absence. “I will admit that I’ve been better.” The other blond nodded in understanding. All three wizards sat quietly in their own thoughts for a while before Mips came back with a refill of cocoa and what looked like enough food for ten. “All of Misses friends need to eat! Now now, hurry before it gets cold!” Suddenly the elf stopped what she was doing and looked to the young Malfoy with wonder in her eyes. “Missters, were is Misses?” Orion held his breath as he looked over to Septimus, the man seemed to have lost the ability to breathe as well as they both waited for the younger wizard to answer. Malfoy looked down at the elf and patted her softly on the head. “She is sleeping Mips. Remember you said I had to take better care of myself so that she could sleep? That is why these two are here instead.” The elf seemed to think about it for a while before she nodded curtly. “Good! Misses has been working too much! Now eat all of you!” The blond Auror let out the breath he was holding and patted Malfoy on the back as Mips filled their glasses. The younger blond smiled at him carefully, his eyes filled with guilt. After Mips returned to her other duties Septimus spoke up. “You really are a true Slytherin, Mr Malfoy.” Malfoy looked at him confused. “Pardon Sir?” Orion chuckled. “Telling lies with a side of truth is a Slytherin’s speciality. If you always have some truth in your lies they make them more believable for everyone. Including yourself. We might have a bad reputation as a House but I would believe that the other Houses have always been scared of what the snakes are whispering from the shadows. What is the lie and what is the truth? Keep them guessing and soon they will eat out of your palm.” The young wizard looked at him with wide eyes as Septimus whistled. “Coming from the old King of Slytherin. Wise words indeed.” Orion rolled his eyes at the other wizard before he continued. “Be proud of your House, Mr Malfoy. The silent hunters are always the most dangerous.” The young blonde met his eyes, determination storming around in his grey coloured eyes. “Auror Blackmoore said the same thing. I understand what she said about you now Auror Silver.” The Aurors looked at him curiously before he continued with a smirk. “She also reminded me that all of you were former Slytherins and said if she ever saw you apologise for anything she would eat her uniform. It’s clear she respects you all a lot.” A sombre mood fell over the table then and they continued to eat their food in silence. Orion started to feel around for Artemis in the bond again, but there was still nothing. With a loud sigh, he took a sip of his drink, well aware that two pairs of eyes were following his moves. Unknown to him they were all thinking the same thing. Would she ever wake up?


	13. Awakening

The little alley in Diagon was kept in shadow, hidden away from the prying eyes of the few that were walking down the main street this late. It was raining and puddles were slowly forming between the cobblestones. The man in front of them was squirming trying desperately to get away from the two Aurors who had caught him. Zacharias had him at wand point making him unable to move without the risk of getting a hex sent his way. “I won’t ask nicely again, who are you working for?” The man cowered but still looked annoyed at them before answering. “I don’t know! I keep telling you! We just got orders from someone in a Death Eater mask. I never saw his face.” Orion sighed, it was the same answer as all the other times they had asked. It really did seem that the wizard had not seen anything important. Sick of the other wizard's act he grabbed his shirt cuff and pulled him towards himself. The man was of a smaller build than the blond himself but he was the same height. Not that Orion could care how tall he was, the unfamiliar wizard knew he was on a losing side. “You sent my partner into a coma. You better tell us what you know or you will follow her.” The man shivered and looked scared for a second before his eyes turned glassy and filled with anger. “She deserves it! I had to bury my friend because of her! She is a monster!” Both of the Auror’s looked at him in surprise. The blond let the man go without realising but Zacharias was quick to grab him again. “There was no evidence of someone who had died in the pub, how did you get him out?” The man bit his lip refusing to answer. As a response the dark Auror pushed him against the wall hard, pointing his wand against his neck. “You said?” The usual humour in Zabini’s voice was gone. He had been looking for clues the entire week and finally this morning they had gotten a tip from someone that had been in the Leaky during the attack that they had seen a man acting suspicions around the area. The woman had a keen eye and recognised the man’s shoes, which was not weird as they were made of red dragon leather something that was not normal in this part of town. Not expecting much Zacharias and Orion had ventured out to try and find him just in case there were some connections and sure enough after hours of looking they had found him walking aimlessly in the street above the Leaky Cauldron. The second he had spotted the Aurors he had sprinted to the pub and quickly made his way into Diagon Alley where they had caught him in a one-way alley. The cold rain was soaking them to the bone and Orion had to stop himself from shivering as he pointed his own wand at the man. That did the trick as the wizard started to stammer out an explanation. “T… That bitch was totally crazy! She sent curses left and right never letting up just to make sure some kid ran away. She hit my friend square in the chest with some sort of killing curse! But he didn’t die right way, he suffered for an entire night before he died! The men that hired us didn’t care either so I had to bury him myself.” There were several Auror grade curses that came to Orion’s mind after hearing his explanation but none of them should have been lethal. Unless Artemis had used more power behind them than necessary. “Did her eyes seem gold to you?” The wizard's eyes grew wide at the question and he started to shiver violently. “T… Th… those eyes. They have haunted me ever since. She is a bloody monster!” Zacharias tightened his grip on him as he looked at Orion. The blond pointed his wand at the man’s head. “Obliviate.” Zabini quickly let go of the man and put his wand away, while putting on a cheery smile. They both watched as the wizard's eyes turned glossy for a second before he looked at them confused. “Can I help you, gentlemen?” Zabini laughed slightly while pointing to the end of the alley. “We were helping you, sir, it seems you have had a bit too much to drink. As I said, the Apparating point is in the next alley.” Orion put his wand back into his holster while the man looked at them calculating before he smiled at them politely. “Oh I am sorry, I must have zoned out for a second. Thank you so much.” The two Aurors watched him go and when he had disappeared around a corner Zacharias spoke up. “He could have had more information.” Orion shrugged. “Perhaps. But we can’t have someone remember how she looks like. He was just an underling anyway and it was pretty obvious he did not know his contractor. If he is still alive it means that it was a one time job. But put some agents to keep an eye on him just in case. Let’s get out of here, I’m freezing.” Orion walked out of the alley taking a peek up and down the street and relaxing when he saw nobody. 

It was past closing time for the shops in the familiar street but there were still lights in some of them. The owners probably staying behind to wash up for the next day. Zacharias was quick to join his side and they walked down the street in silence. Only the sound of the rain hitting the cobblestones and roofs could be heard and all that the blond wanted was to get back to Hogwarts and take a warm shower. It had been an incredibly long week and it was wearing on them all. They had been swamped in work both within the school and outside. The mission of protecting Malfoy was also getting more difficult with the four of them splitting themselves in so many different directions and Orion was frankly sick of babysitting the boy. He had personally gone to Potter for some assistance and the young wizard had understood completely and taken the blond even more under his wings to the blond’s annoyance. Then it was the ordeal of Burns drugging and almost raping him that he was meant to take care of but his time had not reached that far yet. Instead, the wizard had chosen to stay in his office for as much of the meals he could. The witch had not approached him since either but he saw the hungry looks she sent him when they were in the same room. Cyril had weirdly enough said nothing about the whole thing but as the days went by Orion feared the man was close to a breaking point. It was years since he had seen him show his anger so openly and if he was honest with himself he was scared of what the other wizard could do to him. It was no secret that Cyril was in love with Artemis to any of the other wizards, only the witch herself seemed oblivious to the fact. The auburn haired wizard had always followed her loyally even when they had been kids in school never missing an opportunity to touch or put Orion in a bad light. “Bloody weather.” Zacharias complaining snapped Orion out of his thoughts and he had to nod in agreement. “Wanna grab a firewiskey before we head back?” The blond shook his head at the dark wizard. “I rather want to go straight back. A warm shower is more tempting at the moment.” “Fair enough I suppose.” Falling quiet for a minute his partner stopped him in his tracks. “You still feel nothing?” Orion sighed. He was asked this question multiple times a day now and every time he had the same answer but he always had to check anyway just to be sure. Closing his eyes he focused everything he had into the bond feeling around for a response. Suddenly he felt something, it was weak but there was definitely something there. Focusing harder he tried to grasp the feeling almost pulling it towards himself. Confusion. She was awake and she was confused. Orion’s eyes flew open and looked at his friend in shock. “She’s awake.” Zacharias's eyes widened much like his own before he started to laugh almost hysterically. “She made it! I told you! We need to find a floo, come on!” The wizard started to walk down the street with a spring in his step and Orion quickly followed. He was clutching to the feeling as hard as he could as he walked. The blond looked confused up when they stopped outside of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and the other Auror knocked on the door only to find it open. The blond Auror followed his partner inside as he shouted for the people within. “Aurors! We need to use your floo system, it’s an emergency!” There was no noise for the few seconds that followed until what was presumably a Weasley stepped out from the room at the back. He was tall, skinny and where his right ear used to be there was an ugly scar. The wizard’s eyes widened almost comically when he saw them. “Charlie!” the man shouted back into the room he had just come out of and soon a shorter but bulkier build wizard walked out. He looked at them with a sceptical look. “Aurors? What kind of uniforms is that then? I’ve never seen that colour before.” Orion sighed and took out his Auror badge and identification and threw it on the counter for the wizard to see and gestured Zacharias to do the same. The two redheads studied their badges for what felt like a decade as Orion was slowly losing his patience. Suddenly the shorter redhead looked up surprised. “Orion Silver? _The_ Orion Silver?” The blond nodded at him with a raised eyebrow. “Yes? Do I know you?” The man deeply chuckled. “No most likely not. I am Charlie Weasley. I was one year beneath you in school. Heard a lot of stuff about you. Never thought you would just waltz into the store like that.” The other brother then looked up from his partner’s ID with huge eyes. “You are Blaise Zabini’s older brother?” Zacharias grinned widely. “Yes, that charming young snake is my little brother. I assume you are Ron Weasley’s older brothers?” They both nodded at them while the shorter Weasley threw their badges and IDs back at them. “You said you needed a floo?” Orion nodded at him seriously. “Yes, we need the quickest route to St. Mungo’s.” Both of them looked worried. “One of you hurt?” The taller one asked carefully. The blond shook his head. “No, but our partner is in the hospital and needs us there at once. I am sorry to be rude but can we use the floo or not? You will be in the Ministry’s gratitude and I will personally make sure you are compensated for your trouble.” The seriousness of his tone seemed to make an impact on the two redheads as the shorter one nodded at the taller. “Alright, follow me. Pardon the mess.” The shorter Weasley gestured to follow him up a flight of stairs and through a door that happened to lead into the private apartment above the shop.

When he had said to pardon the mess it was said in earnest, the place was a mess and not fit for visitors at all. Orion could not help himself and started to analyse the rooms in front of him. There were clothes strewn everywhere like someone had thrown them around in rage. Old dishes were piling on the coffee table together with take-out boxes of all sizes. Some potion vials were also seen here and there and the blond noticed some empty on the floor that had leaked a little on the floor. Obviously thrown away. Zacharias whistled next to him as they went. “You’ve been robbed or something?” Weasley looked back at him with a sad expression on his face. “My brother downstairs, George, is having a hard time dealing with the death of his twin. We take turns looking after him these days as he keeps digging himself down in misery.” The dark Auror said nothing in response and they continued into a bedroom that had a fireplace. The room looked just as bad as the others except the bed were nearly untouched which meant the man was not sleeping in it. “This is directly linked to St Mungo’s. I got it done a few months back, just tell the nurse that George is ok so they don’t freak out over there.” Orion studied the man in front of him. It was obvious that he was struggling to keep his head afloat by taking care of his brother. Dealing with the death of a brother was one thing but dealing with the death of a twin must be destroying to the soul. The blond clicked his tongue and took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Weasley. “Your brother is clearly suffering from insomnia, anxiety and probably panic attacks by the look of the house. He is clearly not given the correct medication for this as just from the look of him he looks more like a drug addict on a downward spiral than a recovering patient. This is the name of the Healer we are personally using on the Auror Force, you will not get anyone better. Tell him that Auror Silver sent you and he will gladly help you. My name is on the back as well if you need to contact me, I will vouch for you.” The redhead looked down on the piece of parchment as he turned it overlooking stunned for a few seconds before he looked up at Orion. “I… I’m sorry but there is no way we can pay him.” Orion snorted at the shorter wizard. “That can be worked out later, the most important thing is to make your brother better right? Besides Healer Crane doesn’t care about money he is paid by the Ministry for his work and your brother is a war hero correct? I am sure he can slip him through the system.” Orion crossed his hands while raising his eyebrow at the redhead who was still looking at him stunned. His mouth opening and closing like a fish a couple of times before he came to his senses. “Thank you, Auror Silver. I will contact him in the morning and set up a meeting with him. George has suffered enough as it is and it is time he got some real help. This was some compensation just for using the floo.” Weasley grinned slightly at them while putting the note in his pocket. Zacharias smiled back at him while patting the redhead on the shoulder. “Our partner in the hospital is a special one you see so this was nothing to speak of. Good luck with your brother yeah? Don’t hesitate to contact the Auror office and ask for any of us if ya need help with something. We both have brothers we need to protect Mr Weasley.” Weasley looked at them both in gratitude before his face turned into curiosity. “Can I ask who it is? The one in the hospital I mean.” Orion answered without really thinking about it. “Artemis Blackmoore, a Senior Auror like ourselves.” The wizard's eyes grew wide as dinner plates as he met Orion’s own eyes and the blond cursed himself when he remembered that this man had been a Gryffindor and probably knew about the witch but soon found himself surprised. “Blackmoore? I’ve worked with her on multiple occasions before, even tried to persuade her to become a dragon tamer. I hope she is okay.” Zacharias looked at Orion with a confused look and it seemed that he had not heard about this work relationship. Nothing came to the blond’s mind either but then again he had been deep into the potion smuggling cases at one point and they had been doing their separate things for quite a while. He put on a smile. “She will be fine. We better get going now, Mr Weasley. Don’t forget to mention my name to Healer Crane.” The man nodded at them both in understanding and stepped away so that they had room to go through the floo. Zacharias took a fist worth of floo powder from the mantle and threw it into the fireplace. “St Mungo’s!” The fire became green within a second and the man ducked inside while Orion quickly followed leaving the Weasley behind. 

As they stepped out of the floo a young Healer was standing at the ready, wide eyed and nervous. “Where is Mr Weasley? That is his private address you are coming from.” Zacharias gave her a reassuring smile while taking a peek on her nameplate. “He is totally fine Miss Zeltwin, we used the Weasleys’ floo system to get here faster. We are here to see Auror Blackmoore.” The witch’s blond curls bounced around her face as she hurriedly got out of their way. “Oh! She woke up just a little while ago I heard. Healer Crane is taking care of her now.” As Zacharias thanked the witch Orion was already marching down the hall towards Artemis room. Her emotions were clearer now that he was closer but it seemed that she was not totally herself yet. Confusion was still the biggest wave that he felt but it was also a flicker of worry and nervousness. Rounding the last corner he saw the Healer exit the room shutting the door behind him. Their eyes met when Orion was just a few meters away and the wizard held his hand up to stop him from going into the room. “One moment please Auror Silver. I am aware that you know she is awake but she is in no condition to see you at the moment.” Orion looked at the wizard in front of him with equal part confusion and annoyance. “Why is that?” Healer Crane gave him a look that told him that he would not like the answer. “She is confused and remembers little from what happened on the day of the attack. I have already told her that she has been in a coma for the last five days as she thought what had happened yesterday. It seems her only concern in Mr Malfoy at the moment. So I suggest you go back to Hogwarts to get him. In the meantime, I will do a thorough medical examination of her psyche to see if there is any damage.” The Healer positioned himself in front of the door knowing that had he, not the blond would have marched straight into the room disregarding what he had just been told. All Orion could do was scowl at him before turning back the way he came. As he was halfway to the front desk he saw Zacharias still chatting up the nurse they had met earlier, rolling his eyes he grabbed him by the collar while he passed by. The man in question almost falling over his own two feet in the process. “I’m sorry Nurse Zeltwin but I have need of this man.” The nurse looked at them a little owlishly while they went, curses from the other Auror filling his ear. “Come on mate! I was so close to a date with that one. What happened to Prince?” The blond sent him an angry look before he answered. “We need to get Malfoy here apparently, Crane did not let me in to see her before he was present.” Zabini whistled in awe at what he just heard. “Well better get back posthaste and get him then.” Orion nodded in annoyance and they both made their way over to the floo system. He felt around the bond again and it had grown quiet, but not the same quiet it had been the last few days. The blond concluded that she must be asleep or in a calmed downstate he concluded that Healer Crane must have given her something prior to the examination he was going to do. He reminded himself that he had to keep his emotions in check not to upset her unnecessarily even if what he really wanted to do was turn around and run back to the witch’s room to confirm that she actually was ok. 

Draco was pacing around in his room as he had been doing for the past nights debating if he should take another Dreamless Sleep and make the night pass without troubles. He stopped to look at the chair Auror Blackmoore had been sitting in when she had attacked him for what seemed like the millionth time that week. Flashes of what happened still passed through his mind but not because of fear, no, he wanted to understand how it had happened.  _Why_ it had happened. He wanted to know what she was exactly, not just wade around in endless theories that might or might not have some truth behind them. Auror Zouch had confirmed for him that she did have a Master that somehow controlled her. If this information was given to him willingly or not he did now know, but he was going to use it for what it was worth. He had managed to borrow some books from the library to do research both about bonding rituals and the slave ritual. The books were strewn around his desk and floor and what he had found made his theory that it must have been tweaked correct. The original branding ritual was a painful affair but it was also mostly to the benefit for the Master and not the Slave. Whoever controlled you would have full knowledge of where you were at all time s and could even control you directly with voiced commands. The magic the Slave could use was also limited to protect the Master from Slaves that went rogue. This was the thing that probably was the reason why Auror Blackmoore had this brand in the first place, her magic had to be uncontrollable back when she was younger and she had taken this ritual instead of risking her own life or someone else’s. It sends shivers down the blonds back when he thought about being controlled in this way. Then it was the case of her being bonded to Auror Silver, he had found no evidence that there could not be two rituals like this with two different people. So it was still plausible that she was bonded to the blond Auror and Slave bonded to Auror Thompson. Draco had not seen much of either of them as he had been kept company by Auror Zouch and Potter most of the time. The blond knew that Auror Silver had asked help from Potter himself and the boy had been sticking to Draco’s side ever since. A month earlier he might have found this bothersome but now he took comfort in it. Just the fact that Potter knew about his crush on the witch made them closer to each other and the raven head had kept his promise so far about not saying anything. A yawn escaped him and he sat down on his bed, a book in his hand. He took a peek at the potion vial on his nightstand again but went back to his book ignoring it for the time being. Soon the words he was reading started to float on the page in front of him and just after a few pages he gave up and threw the book to the floor in frustration. Draco rubbed his eyes and dragged his fingers through his hair when he noticed the Slytherin tie that was hanging over the chair together with his robes. On closer inspection, he had found dried blood on it and for a second he had thought about calling Mips to clean it but had decided against it and used a spare one he had for class. Looking at it now just hanging there innocently Draco wondered how it would have gone if he had stayed and helped the witch defeat the Death Eaters. He was a competent enough wizard he thought, he could hold his own no problem in a duel. Potter was proof of that. The blond must have been sitting just staring at the tie for several minutes as he jumped when there was a knock on his door. Looking confused at it for a few seconds the person on the other side knocked again before he managed to get to his feet and open it. 

He was surprised to find Auror Silver on the other side looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but right there. “Auror Silver?” The man studied him for a minute before he took a peek over his shoulder and raised his eyebrow. “Researching something, Mr Malfoy?” Draco swallowed quickly before trying to hide the mess behind him. “Yes, a lot of homework these days. What brings you here this late, Sir?” The Auror did not look convinced by his excuse but it seemed he did not care enough to question any further. “I need you to come with me. Auror Blackmoore is awake.” The young blond's eyes widened in surprise and he quickly ran over to his robe almost tripping over several books in the process only to proceed to throw it over himself and ran towards the door again. “Ready, Sir” Auror Silver did not say anything as he started to make his way out of the Slytherin dorm, as usual, expecting Draco to follow, which he did after quietly closing his bedroom door. They walked in awkward silence towards the Aurors’ office. Draco used the time to study the Auror next to him with the corner of his eye. He looked more put together than before but it was clear that a storm was brewing underneath and the blond wondered what was going inside the man’s head. “Something on my face, Mr Malfoy?” The older wizard looked at him with a neutral expression but his eyes were like solid ice. Draco quickly looked away while he shook his head. Not saying anything else the man continued to pay attention to what was in front of him and the young blond went back to his thoughts. He was happy to finally see Auror Blackmoore again, but at the same time, nausea was quickly climbing in his throat. If he had stayed and helped her back then things might have ended up differently but as pointed out by Potter it could also have ended up a lot worse. Still deep in thoughts, Draco barely registered them going through the painting of Salazar Slytherin and almost tripped on the way in catching himself in the last second. Auror Silver gave him a weird look but said nothing instead looking around the empty office. The older wizard mumbled something to himself as he went over to the fireplace to throw some floo powder into it saying clearly: “St. Mungo’s.” then looking back to Draco motioning him to go first. The young blond quickly did as he was told and stepped into the fireplace only to be met by Auror Zabini on the other side. “Why hello there, Mr Malfoy! Glad you could join us.” The dark man grinned from ear to ear as he usually did and the blond took it as a good sign. Only seconds behind him the other Auror soon joined them and together they walked towards the direction of Auror Blackmoore’s room. The closer they got the more nervous Draco became as he was not sure what to expect. Hopefully, she had healed completely by now as the Healer had said she would but he could not stop the lingering feeling that her ending up in a coma was his fault all along. Maybe he had done something wrong when he had healed her and it had somehow given her a delayed reaction or the potion was too old so it had given her body a shock. “Earth to Mr Malfoy?” The blond jumped as a hand waved in front of his face quickly and he looked at Auror Zabini in slight surprise. The man only chuckled at him while looking at him knowingly. “The stage is yours, mate.” Again, the blond looked around confused and he found himself outside of the same hospital room he had last seen her. The window to the room was tinted so there was no way to look inside from the outside but if he were to guess you could still see out of it. Looking around his eyes met that of the other Aurors who were now all present, as well as a Healer and a nurse. They were all looking at him with a variety of expressions. The one that sends shivers down his spine was the one from Auror Silver as the man was radiating disappointment and anger for reasons that Draco did not understand but before he got to ask anything about him the Healer and nurse moved over to the door. “This way, Mr Malfoy. She is ready to meet you.” Swallowing hard he steeled himself for what he was going to see inside.

Auror Blackmoore seemed to be sitting in a state of deep thought when they stepped into the room but when she saw who it was she tried to get out bed almost desperately. “Miss Blackmoore stay still! Some of your wounds are still healing!” The nurse told her strictly and walked over to the witch and made her lean back against the pillows again making tutting at her as she corrected the bedsheets. The brunette was not looking away from Draco as she obediently did as she was told weirdly enough not saying anything. He had not dared to move from the door before being told to and used the time to study the Auror. She looked much better than the last time he saw her. Most of the bandages were now removed as the skin had healed while she slept. The monitoring spells that were all around her had also been removed which was a good sign in Draco’s eyes. It also seemed that she had been able to take a shower as her hair was clean and soft looking, spreading over her shoulders like a bride’s veil. The nurse was still fussing around her when the Healer cleared his throat. “Nurse Zeltwin that is enough. You can wait outside until I need you again.” The young witch nodded her head eagerly as her blond curls flew around her face seemingly having a mind of their own. She gave the Auror’s bed a last once over before retreating through the door closing it softly behind her. Leaning closer to Draco the Healer gave him a reassuring smile. “Now, Mr Malfoy do as I say and you will be fine.” Knitting his eyebrows together he looked at the Healer confused who just smiled wider to him in return before he turned his attention to Auror Blackmoore. “Miss Blackmoore, you know who this is, correct?” The blond looked over to the brunette on the bed as she nodded. “Draco Malfoy. Is this really necessary, Healer Crane?” Healer Crane pushed him closer to the bed then as he answered. “Just normal procedure you know this Miss. We have to make sure that your memory is intact.” The young wizard was now within touching distance of the witch and that was when he noticed it. Her eyes were gold. He could have sworn that they had been brown when they had entered the room but at the same time could not be entirely sure. Something was clearly wrong because this was not the same witch that had gone to sleep four days prior and Draco momentarily froze in place. Healer Crane seemed to notice as he put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly. The witch rolled her eyes at the Healer but did not say anything as he continued; “Do you remember his House?”. The Auror looked at him with a raised eyebrow and pointed at his school cloak. “You are kidding, right?” The Healer only smiled back at her in return while waiting patiently for an answer. She looked back and forth between the two wizards for a few seconds before sighing. “Slytherin. Obviously.” The older wizard wrote something down on the parchment he had taken out of his healer’s robe while nodding. “Good, good. His birthday?” Draco had to look at the other wizard now in question. He didn’t understand the point of asking her questions about him if it was her that had the memory problems. However, the Healer ignored him focusing solely on the witch, who snorted before replying. “Fifth of June, 1980. He has the dark mark on his left forearm. His father is in Azkaban while his mother is in house arrest in France. I got asked by him to watch over him while he attends the eight year at Hogwarts which I have done a bloody bad job of so far as I tried to kill him just a week ago. Do you need anymore or can I touch him already?” Her voice went from almost cold to overflowing with emotions and Draco saw that her eyes had turned back to the dark brown that they usually were. Healer Crane studied her for a few seconds before writing down something else then proceeded to step away from them. “Everything seems in order Miss Blackmoore. I will leave you two alone for a while. Ring on me if anything were to happen.” He looked at the blond as he said the last part signalling that he might not be out of danger just yet but at that moment Draco could not have cared and as soon as the Healer was out the door he flung himself at Auror Blackmoore pulling her into a hug. The witch was quick to embrace him in return as he shivered while he felt her breath on the side of his neck confirming to him that she was alive. “I’m sorry, I should have stayed behind and helped you. I had my wand even and I instead ran away like a coward.” He started to ramble nonsense in her ear and she pulled away from him. Touching his cheeks carefully with both hands while looking into his eyes. “You did as you were asked, Draco. It was not your fault. None of this was your fault. I should have called for backup or I could have run away with you. But you saved me. Healer Crane told me that you healed my wounds in Eminence’s store before they brought me to the hospital. You saved my life.” The blond looked into her eyes and watched fascinated as they changed from chocolate brown to gold and back again as if the creature inside was just as thankful as she was. He leaned closer so their foreheads touched carefully and chills went down his spine from the action. The witch closed her eyes and the world now only contained the two of them in Draco’s mind. Comfortable silence filled the room and only their steady breathing could be heard. The blond realised that this was an incredibly intimate moment and he hoped that it would never end.

Orion clenched his fists tightly as he watched the scene inside Artemis’s hospital room. Healer Crane had removed the spell from the window so that they could look in without the two inside noticing in case of an emergency. The wizard was now writing down things on the parchment he had in his hands eagerly mumbling to himself as he went. Starting to bite his lip he looked to Septimus who was standing to his left. The shorter wizard was looking at the scene with his usual calculating look, trying to memorise everything that happened no doubt. “What does the boy know, Ace?” Sky blue eyes met his own ice blue once and the shorter man smiled knowingly at him. “Finally interested, King? You know I never snitch. Unless it’s in my interest, of course.” Orion matched his knowing smile before answering. “This is not to your interest?” The other wizard simply chuckled at him while looking back to the scene in front of him. “I saw plenty of books on the Glamour charm and different topics on bonding in the boy’s room before we came here.” The tall blond did not look away from his colleague to see if he could get a reaction but, of course, he got none. Septimus was to used to interrogating criminals to show any emotions about the topic he was discussing. “Really? Well then, how interesting. It might seem that he is getting closer to an answer then. But pardon me for saying this, King, what Mr Malfoy knows is not of any interest to you at the moment. You have a bigger ‘hunt’ shall we say, to take care of.” Septimus gestured over to were Cyril stood to their right leaned casually against the wall his arms crossed. The auburn haired man was also paying close attention to what was going on inside the room, his look sharp as usual and with a smirk on his face. Orion looked at him confused for a second before their eyes met. The wizard had been looking at him with pure disdain all week but this time it was different. He looked like he had gotten the last piece of cake right in front of Orion’s face. Cyril licked his lips almost sensually at him while his gaze turned back to the two in the room. The blond’s brain was working overtime while he studied the man. He did not look any different but something had clearly happened in his absence. The blond Auror knitted his eyebrows together as he thought back to the events that evening but quickly raised them in realisation. He had not seen the man other than when he had gotten the message of the witch waking up when he had come through the floo in the office to go get Malfoy. The auburn haired wizard must have travelled straight to the hospital at the news which gave him plenty of time alone with her before his own arrival. His feet travelled on his own but before he got to take a step Septimus grabbed a hold of his arm tightly as anger flared up inside him. “Not the time, King. The Prince needs you.” Orion forced himself to look away from Cyril and changed his attention to the room which Malfoy had now emerged from. He had a slight blush on his face and what could seem like faint tear tracks on his cheeks. “She wants to see you, Auror Silver.” He nodded at the young blond before getting the Healers permission to go inside. Once the man gave a signal he marched into the room, hearing the door closing behind him.

The room chilled within seconds of him entering and from the corner of his eye, he saw ice spreading across the glass window making it impossible to look through. Confused, he looked at the witch in the bed and willed himself to stand his ground as gold eyes met his. This was not the same welcome the Malfoy boy had gotten he mused. “Artemis, I’m glad you are awake. You got me worried sick.” Carefully, he approached the witch and took it as a good sign that she was letting him move. He managed to get all the way over to her and was about to touch her gently when she spoke making his hand freeze in place. “Where were you?” Her voice was soft, afraid sounding but there was a coldness lurking underneath. “What?” Orion looked at her with a relaxed face and sat down the side of her bed not daring to touch her yet. “I called for you during the attack but you never showed. Where were you?” The blond’s eyes widened as his head took him back to the wave of emotions he had felt when he left Burns’s office that day, it must have been a delayed reaction somehow of her calling for help. Licking his lips he thought hard about what to say as he could never tell her the truth. “Are you sure the bond was not closed? I don’t recall you calling for me.” She looked at him with a hard look. “It was wide open. You’re lying to me. Tell me the truth, now.” Her voice was no longer soft and the scared emotion was gone instead replaced by pure ice which was evident in the room now as the frost had started to creep up the walls. However, Orion found himself sweating under his uniform. He could never tell her the truth about what he actually had been doing, but then again if he did not tell her he might not live thru the night. “I… I can’t tell you that.” Suddenly, the temperature in the room started to risen again and Orion looked at Artemis confused but also a little relieved. But he quickly got a wave of disappointment and sadness washing over him. “That’s fine. Cyril, already told me anyway. Get out.” A flare of anger light in his core as he heard the words coming from the witch. He could not believe that the person he saw as his friend would stoop so low as to tell her something from his point of view that could simply be taken as a misunderstanding. “Artemis, he misunderstood what was going on in Burns’s office. I was being he-,” A simple cold glare from the brunette made him shut his mouth quick and he realised that he was not going to get time to explain himself. Instead, he took a deep breath got up from the bed and gave her a sad look. “I’m glad you are alright, Artemis. Please, get better soon.” Before getting an answer he marched to the door opening it swiftly and once out in the hall he did not stop to look at anyone but continued down the hallway as he ignored the others calling his name.


	14. Bittersweet Dreams

_Confusion. Simple, plain confusion must have been evident on her face when she looked around her old room in Snape’s old chambers. It was untouched even tho ten years had passed since she was here last. Artemis was sitting in her old bed like she used to back then, crossed legged and in her favo_ _u_ _rite nightgown. It was the same one that Orion had once told her she looked cute in. Her eyes travel_ _le_ _d around the room again for the second time and this time she noted that some part of her desk was out of focus even tho_ _ugh_ _she was looking straight at it. Puzzled, she got off the bed and walked towards it and she saw that there were books strewn all over the desk but somehow she could not read any of the covers. Now more_ _c_ _urious the witch tried to pick one of them up but her hand went thr_ _o_ _u_ _gh_ _it like she was a ghost w_ _h_ _ich made her jump back in fright. Taking a deep breath the brunett_ _e_ _placed her hand carefully on the desk and her eyebrows knitte_ _d_ _toget_ _h_ _er when she could feel the cold wood beneath her fingers. Artemis then started to walk around the room touching diff_ _e_ _rent things in it as she went. She had been sitting on the bed so that was obviously a solid object, same with the desk and wardrobe but the clut_ _t_ _er on her desk, her clothes in the wardrobe and some other knick_ _-k_ _nacks around the room were all non-touchable. It was like they were not there, to begin with, and her imagination had only put them there to make the room more real than it was. Shuddering the brunette looked to the door of her bedroom and wonder_ _e_ _d if it leads to anyw_ _h_ _ere or if a wall of nothing would greet her. Once again taking a deep breath Artemis slowly approached the door. The handle was cold to the touch as it always had been but somehow she got the feeling that there was something on the other side so before she could think more about it she pulled the door open in one fast motion. Severus Snape old living quarte_ _r_ _s came to view. Same as her bedroom it seemed frozen in time. The furniture was still the same and books w_ _ere_ _strewn around the place, most of them were out of focus but a couple were in clear view._ _C_ _urious, Artemis walked into the room and picked up the book that was closest to her._ _‘How_ _to take care of your cauldron’. The with rolled her eyes, of course, it had to be that one that she could pick up. She wonder_ _e_ _d how many times Severus had made her read it thr_ _o_ _u_ _gh_ _the years at school and by now she could still remember some of the chapters by heart. Putting the book down again she turned to look at the rest of the room. Her heart stopped for what seemed like a minute as she looked to the Potion Master_ _’_ _s favo_ _u_ _rite chair. Severus Snape was seated in it as he had never left, the usual cup of tea was placed on the coffee table and a book was in his hand. Rooted in place all she could do was stare at him if this was her imagination playing a trick on her it was a cruel one. Suddenly the man looked up from his book and raised his eyebrow at her._ _“It_ _is rude to stare Artemis, I’ve told you this many times.” Speechless, the witch nodded at the man. It was true, he had told her that many times during her school days._ _“What_ _are you standing around for girl? Sit down.” Out of habi_ _t_ _the witch moved on her own ac_ _c_ _ord by a order from the older wizard and proceeded to sit down in her usual chair. A teacup appear_ _e_ _d on the table in front of her smelling faintly of ginseng and she just looked at it dumbfounded. It was her favo_ _u_ _rite cup and it even had the crack in it from the time Mips had ac_ _ci_ _dent_ _al_ _ly dropped it on the stone floor. The house elf was still young then and had desp_ _e_ _r_ _a_ _t_ _e_ _ly tried to fix it but she had been so distraught that the spell had not quite worked right and a small crack still remained. Artemis took a_ _hold of the cup and cherished the warmth that spread thr_ _o_ _u_ _gh_ _her._ _“What_ _are you doing here, Artemis? It is not your time yet.” Her brown eyes looked at the wizard in the chair confused._ _“Pardon?”_ _Severus sh_ _ook_ _his head as he put the book down._ _“You_ _seem to be wavering on the edge of Death, girl. What did you do?” The old Professor was his usual serious self as he spoke and there w_ _as_ _no humour in his voice. Artemis’s head went into overdrive as she tried to remember how she had gotten herself there. Images flashed in front of her eyes in quick suc_ _c_ _ession. Draco enjoying a blueberry tart. His scared face when she pulled his hood over his head. Death Eater masks. The blond yelling at her with blood all over his shirt. The brunett_ _e_ _clut_ _c_ _hed her head in her hands as she let out a groan of pain dropping the teacup to the floor in the process. It was too much at once and she took a few deep breaths and nearly jumped out of her chair when she felt a cold hand on her back.”Don’t force yourself. You will remember in time.”_

_Instead of liste_ _n_ _ing to the man she lifted up her nightgown to look for any damage and was close to vom_ _i_ _ting when a fresh wound came to view. The Potion Master studied it fascinated and looked almost proud of her._ _“It_ _seems like my Godson was paying atten_ _t_ _ion when I t_ _a_ _ught him that spell.” Looking at it again she could tell that it had been neatly closed with a steady hand._ _“Draco_ _did this?” Severus snorted at her._ _“Obviously._ _I know my Godsons spell work.” Artemis let the nightgown drop back into place as she rubbed her face with her hands._ _“I_ _was supposed to protect him and instead he protects me. I should just quit my job at this point.” She let out a laugh before continuing._ _“What_ _am I saying. I’m dead anyway. I might as well move on.” A book hit her hard_ _in_ _the back of her head and she grunted in pain while looking back at the wizard in anger._ _“What_ _was that for?!” The older wizard gave her a disa_ _p_ _pointed look._ _“You_ _are not paying atten_ _t_ _ion. I said you were wavering on Death’s door, not that you were dead. Obviously, you felt pain just now, would a dead person do that? Don’t tell me you have grown this stupid_ _i_ _n your older years.” Blinking at him dumbfounded she rubbed the spot he had hit her and found that it still hurt._ _“So_ _what am I doing here then?” She asked angr_ _i_ _ly. Severus sighed as he sat down in his chair again._ _“You_ _tell me. Someone gave you a second chance perhaps?” Artemis studied the floor were her teacup had landed on the stone and saw that it was empty, there was no tea spilling anyw_ _h_ _ere but the cup was still intact somehow. This place was not normal, that much was evident. Trying to think clearly she obviously did not want to die, not now. There was to_ _o_ _much she had to do and say. An image of Orion floated passed her eyes and she suddenly remem_ _b_ _er_ _e_ _d why she had been angry at him, to begin with._ _“Why_ _did you tell Orion not to tell me that you were dead?” The wizard in front of her showed no emotions as they looked at each other._ _“How_ _long were you left in the dark?”_ _“Over_ _a year.” Severus gave her an impressed expre_ _s_ _sion._ _“He_ _had to make sacrifices to do that I believe.” Artemis had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her anger in check._ _“He_ _had Cyril, Septimus and Zach_ _a_ _rias take an Unbreakable Vow each so that they would not spill the secret to me.” Laughter escaped the Potion Master and the witch looked at him like he had gone crazy._ _“King_ _of Slytherin to the core. I see I made the right choi_ _c_ _e by giving my re_ _q_ _uest to Mr Silver. As f_ _or_ _the reason why I did it,_ _it_ _is simple enough.” He gestured for her to come sit on the floor in front of him as she had done as a child. At first, she wanted to be seated in the chair but figured that she might as well humour the man and went to sit on the floor. Su_ _r_ _prisingly, it was warm like she was sitting on a fluffy blanket. Suddenly a hairbrush was going thr_ _o_ _u_ _gh_ _her hair followed by gentle hands moving it behind her shoulders._ _“Your_ _hair is a mess. When was the last time you cut it?” She tipped her head backwards to look at the man who had a glint of sadness in his eyes._ _“I_ _can’t remember. You said the reason was simple?” Pushing her head forward again he hummed and continued to brush her hair. Several minutes went by wit_ _h_ _out any of them saying anyth_ _i_ _ng. Artemis was about to ask the man again when he answer_ _e_ _d._ _“Everyone_ _behaves diff_ _e_ _rently when they feel grief. Some don’t show it, others scream to the heavens. While you, my dear, become dangerous. Do you remember why I had you moved to this chamber in the first place?” The witch thought for a second but her mind came out blank so she shook her head._ _“They_ _had just started to figure out that something was not_ _‘normal’_ _with you and had started to tease you. Innocently at first, of course. But it quic_ _k_ _ly_ _ac_ _c_ _e_ _le_ _r_ _ated and McGonag_ _a_ _ll soon got involved to take care of the situa_ _t_ _ion. Instead of listening to your case she brushed you off and took the side of the other girls. Deeming you the guilty instead of the innocent. The conse_ _qu_ _en_ _c_ _es of this w_ _ere_ _almost fatal._ _Y_ _our grief of losing the few friends you had and being looked at like an outcast w_ _h_ _erever you went soon became too much. In a fit of sorrow infus_ _e_ _d_ _with_ _anger, you attac_ _k_ _ed one of the girls in your room late one night almost killing her in the process. At this point, I got you out and made you live here with me, away from prying eyes. I could not let this happen again, therefore I made that request of Mr Silver.” The man did not stop brushing her hair as he spoke and it lulled her into a relaxed state. What she heard should have su_ _r_ _prised her but at this point in time, it did not if he said that this happen_ _e_ _d all she could do was believe him. There were a lot of episodes that she had forgotten over the years only to be told later by her closest friends._

_Sitting on the floor like this made Artemis feel like a little girl as the silence once again filled the room. If she could stay here forever like this it would still not be long enough. Severus started to hum a song that she hadn_ _’_ _t heard in a long time, he had only used it on oc_ _c_ _a_ _s_ _ion and only when they were complete_ _l_ _y alone. It was an old sirens lullaby that calmed the nerves as well as lull you into a deep sleep. She bent her head back again to look at him with tears in her eyes._ _“Why_ _did you have to die?” Severus looked down at her with shiny eyes as he put the hairbrush away._ _“It_ _was unavo_ _i_ _dable, girl. You know I was on both sides of the war, I for_ _e_ _saw my death long before it happen_ _e_ _d. My only regret is that I did not get to say goodbye to you, but it seems that someone gave us the chance to do so now. Goodbye, my sweet daughter, it’s time for you to go back to the world of the living it is not your time yet. Tell my Godson that he is doing a good job protecting the ones he loves.” Artemis could feel herself slipping into a deep sleep as it seemed the song had continued to play in the room even tho_ _ugh_ _Severus was talking to her. Tears were flowing freely down her face as she tried to stand up but her legs wouldn’t listen._ _”Please,_ _wait! Don’t leave me again!” The late Potion Master just smiled at her as she watched him fade before her eyes._

Runes were blinking erratically in front of her face and the room was filled with the noise of wards going off. Someone came running up to her shaking her slightly. “…moore… you… me?” Artemis blinked rapidly and when she opened her eyes again, met the eyes of a worried looking nurse. “What?” Her throat felt like she had spent the last month in a desert and her voice was hoarse. “Auror Blackmoore, can you hear me?” The brunette nodded at the question as she closed her eyes again. “I will go and get Healer Crane, please stay put.” Artemis had no time to answer as she heard the other witch run out the door. Her memory was hazy but she could tell that the dream she had had was a peculiar one. Had it even been a dream? She managed to get herself up in a sitting position and looked around the room with a sigh. Not surprised to find herself in the hospital, again. A jolt of surprise went through her suddenly as she realised the bond was open and it was Orion reacting to her being awake. If she were to guess he was already on his way to her. While wondering how long it would take him, the nurse from earlier came in the room followed by Healer Crane. “Miss Blackmoore, glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?” “Fine. I am guessing that my colleagues are already outside the door.” Healer Crane gave the nurse a weird look which made her leave immediately, closing the door behind her. The wizard cleared his throat before saying anything. “Not quite, Miss. You have been in a coma for the past five days. We got you out of Miss Loftwind’s shop on Monday afternoon, it is now Saturday night.” Artemis looked at him dumbfounded for several seconds before the images of Draco covered in blood flashed before her eyes. “What about Draco?! Is he alright? Did he get out?!” Wincing she calmed down slightly as the Healer waved his wand over her head for a few moments. “He is absolutely fine, Miss Blackmoore. In fact, he saved your life. You managed to get yourself splinched when you Apparated from the Leaky Cauldron and into Miss Loftwind’s shop. Had it not been for Mr Malfoy’s quick wand work I can not guarantee that you would be with us today.” Astounded, she looked at the wizard. “He… saved me? Wait, did you say five days?” The wizard said nothing as he studied the runes over her head and wrote down his findings on a clipboard. His eyebrows knitted together in something that resembled fascination. “Indeed I did, now it seems you have some memory problems which we have to look into to make sure you are all right and fit for duty. However, your wounds are almost completely healed, I would say that you can go home tomorrow if you take it easy for the next week or so.” She continued to look at him confused but in the end, just nodded at him. “Why did I end up in a coma?” Quickly looking at her Healer Crane then went back to study the runes above her head again. “I am not sure about that I’m afraid. It could be your magic trying to help with the healing process or it could be an aftereffect of one of the hexes you were hit with during the duel with the Death Eaters. Hard to say really.” Images continued to flash before her eyes of the different events that had happened and she continued to get scenes of Draco. Her hands started to shake a little as she suddenly heard Severus’s voice in her head. _“Tell_ _my Godson that he is doing a good job protecting the ones he loves”._ Hugging herself she started to shake more violently and the Healer was quick to grab a potion from the shelves and administering it to her. “Now now, Miss Blackmoore, calm down. You are safe, there is nobody that can hurt you here.” “I want to see Draco.” Feeling herself getting drowsy the wizard helped her down into a laying position. “I will get the Aurors to bring him here. Take it easy in the meantime.” “I need to see him.” Healer Crane gave her a reassuring smile before she could feel her eyes close. “I will get him here, don’t worry. Now go back to sleep Miss Blackmoore. He will be here when you wake up.” Artemis heard the man leave the room and could faintly feel that Orion was close to her at that moment but she could not get herself to open her eyes to check before she found her self lose to the darkness.

Someone was in the room she noticed as she laid still trying to figure out who it was without revealing she was awake. Healer Crane had gone through every psychology spell imaginable on her earlier and she was sick of answering stupid questions. The magical core of the person was calm, almost unnoticeable but familiar. “Cyril?” A soft hand caressed her cheek as she opened her eyes and met the gentle ocean blue eyes of the other Auror. “Hey, sleeping beauty.” His face showed great relief and it almost seemed like he was about to start crying as his voice cracked when he spoke but he managed to catch himself by clearing his throat. “You gave us all a scare there, Artemis.” The auburn haired wizard sat down on her bed as she sat up slightly smiling softly at him. “Business as usual then?” He laughed softly in response as his eyes turned glossy with tears again. Looking at her for several seconds he reached out to grab her hand. It felt good feeling the warmth of another person, knowing that they were real and not something out of her imagination. Severus’s voice had not left her after she had woken up and at this point, she was not sure if it was a dream anymore. She caressed his hand while studying it, the faint Unbreakable Vow scars now made her more sad than angry and she wished dearly that she could be just a normal witch among the crowd. Tears prickled behind her eyes again as she looked up at Cyril. The wizard's eyes overflowed with worry as their eyes locked. “What is it? You feeling ill? I can call Crane.” He was about to get up from his seat but she gripped his hand harder, making him fall back to the bed again, looking at her surprised. Artemis could feel the tears run down her cheeks freely as the wizard climbed further onto the bed pulling her into an embrace. “It’s alright, I’m here.” The brunette clung to the man in front of her like her life depended on it even though her body protested she did not let go as she eventually managed to talk through the sobbing. “I didn’t ask for this power. I just hurt everyone around me. Someone should lock me up somewhere far away from civilisation and let me rot alone.” Cyril pulled back forcefully as anger was radiating off the man.“ The powers are what makes you, _you,_ and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Without them we would probably never have met at school, you would just be another Gryffindor in the sea of Gryffindors, no one special, no one at all. Is that really what you want? To be nobody?” Artemis took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself enough to answer but as she was about to flashes of him sitting on top of her came to mind. His uniform cut to shreds and blood running down his skin. “I… I could have killed you! You were an idiot! Why did you not get Orion back then?! If you died, I… I…” The brunette was lost for words as she desperately tried not to think about what could have happened if they had not woken her up that morning. It seemed so long ago now. Cyril shook her out of her spiral of thoughts before she managed to get too deep and his eyes resembled a stormy ocean. “I did not call him because I knew that I could wake you, besides, he is being a fucking idiot these days. He doesn’t deserve to even see you right now. Do you know where he was when you needed him the most? I looked for the fucker for an hour only to find him half naked in Burns’s office doing Merlin knows what.” Artemis’s blood froze to ice when the last words left the wizards mouth and she looked at him with a surprised expression. “You’re lying.” Cyril shook his head. “I wish I was Artemis. There was some sort of potion fumes in the office which made his muscles grow numb but he kept insisting that there was something else in the room. But from what I can tell he has not done anything else with it. The man have spent most of his days in the office after that. But it was pretty obvious what they were doing.” Her thoughts were spinning out of control fast to remember back to the moment she had tried calling him for help only to get silence in return. Sudden fatigue came over her then and she felt herself go limp in Cyril’s arms. He was quick to embrace her again, holding her tight against his chest. 

Silence fell over the room like a blanket and the brunette focused on the wizard’s heartbeats underneath his shirt. For once he had not worn the entire uniform probably out of haste when he had made his way to the hospital. He started to draw soothing circles on her back as she noticed the tattoo over his heart. If she focused enough she could see the butterflies fly around in an erratic pattern mimicking what the man was actually feeling. Faint lines from the morning she had attacked him were also visible and before she could stop herself she wedged her hand inside the opening of his shirt to touch one of them. The wizard froze for a second before relaxing into her touch. The two butterflies followed her fingers across the one closest to the tattoo that somehow had been spared for damage and she wondered if her subconscious knew that it was Cyril she had been attacking and left it clean on purpose. “Remember when you begged me to get a tattoo so that you could tell if it was me if an undercover agent died?” Cyril’s voice was like a whisper. “You yelled at me that it would get you caught one day.” She whispered back. A deep chuckle escaped the man. “I went and did it anyway didn’t I?” Artemis could not help the chuckle that escaped her. One of the butterflies looked like they had landed on the top of her ring finger as she laid her hand flat against his chest. His heart was beating fast but on the outside, he was calm and collected. “I’m sorry, Artemis. But there is something that I have to do because I am not letting this chance escape me again.” Voice still a whisper he pushed them slightly apart, just enough so that they were face to face. The witch looked at the wizard in confusion before nodding in understanding. The confusion was quickly replaced with surprise, however, as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. She had never been kissed by him on the lips before this, it was only slight pecks on the cheeks and soft touches on her lower back. This was different, dangerous and the brunette was not sure if she wanted it to continue. At the same time, it was completely different from when Orion kissed her, his kisses were more sexual and demanding. He had the bond to control her flow while Cyril had nothing but his own feelings that he had to try and convey through the kiss. Normally, if it had been Orion she would not think twice with kissing back but if she were honest with herself this situation was proving too tempting to ignore. Quickly closing the bond partly she responded to the auburn haired wizard’s kiss. Who in turn deepened the kiss as he took a hold of the hand she still had inside his shirt and pulled it out so he could intertwine their fingers. His other hand he placed between her shoulders keeping her steady as he closed the little distance that was between them. Cyril started to rub his hand up and down her back slowly but never going under her hospital gown and in turn, she used her free hand to comb through his hair. They stayed like that for several minutes, just enjoying what the other was doing until Artemis felt she couldn’t breathe anymore. Putting her free hand on his chest she pushed slightly and he pulled away immediately, looking down at her with hooded eyes. Both were out of breath as they looked at each other before the ocean blue eyed wizard broke the silence. “I still stand by what I said to you. I wish that it was a chameleon instead of a raven and I know that I can never go back to change that, but I will continue to protect you with my life. If we don’t go any further than this know that I will always be looking your way and I’ll always be there. Even if you can’t always see me.” He was smirking at her when he finished and his eyes filled with the lovable mischief she knew so well. Smiling back at him she kissed him softly on the cheek, mimicking the way he had done to her many times before. “Thank you, Cyril, my knight in disguise.” The wizard chuckled as he kissed her on the cheek in return then whispering in her ear. “Anything for the Prince of snakes.” They both laughed at each other as they separated and Cyril got off the bed to stand next to it. His eyes softened when their eyes met again and he smiled knowingly. “Don’t be scared of killing me off in the future, Artemis. Seems like you like me too much.” Puzzled she tilted her head to one side. Laughing again the wizard looked around the room for something before he took down a potion vial from one of the shelves then proceeded to transfigure it into a mirror. Quickly, he turned it towards her smile still on her face. Her eyes widened when she saw they were liquid gold and wondered when they had turned. “I got some power over you, after all, I’m honoured.” Artemis tried her best to figure out how it had happened as they never usually turned on their own accord in that way. It was usually when she was under more extreme emotions, even though she could control it to some extent. Looking at the man in front of her she did not feel anything, in particular, only a slow warmth that spread through her like firewhiskey. Cyril was still smiling knowingly at her as he defigurated the mirror back to its original state and carefully put the vial back. It was then she noticed the presence of Orion in the building and a knock could be heard on the door. Artemis looked over to Cyril almost panically but he simply winked at her while taking a potion out of his pocket and swallowing it down. Slowly he turned see-through before he disappeared completely as Healer Crane came through the door. “Ah! Miss Blackmoore, you are awake, good. Is everything alright? Auror Silver just arrived with Mr Malfoy and I just want to ask you some quick questions before I let him in.” The wizard stopped for a second at the foot of her bed seemingly frozen to the spot, obviously noting the state of her eyes. She simply nodded at him as she felt the invisible wizard leave the room silently. 


	15. Monday

A cool touch on his forehead jolted Draco out of the nightmare he was having making him lash out towards the source in panic. Someone grabbed a hold of his hands before he could connect the hit, however, as a soft hushing sound could be heard from above him. Opening his eyes they met the chocolate brown ones of Auror Blackmoore which were filled with a slight worry but even so the witch was smiling reassuringly at him. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” Hearing her voice calmed him down more than he liked to admit as the images of the nightmare he had passed in front of his eyes. It had been the same one he had all week, a perfect reenacting of the Auror coming into the potion shop and falling bleeding to the floor but no matter what he did in the dream he could not save her. Sitting up in bed he watched as the witch walked around looking at the different books that laid strewn all over and for a minute he forgot what kind of books it was until she picked up the one about bonding rituals. She gave him a curious look before closing it and putting it on his desk as she flicked her wrist and the rest of the books followed the first. After a few seconds, the room was clean and the books were placed in a neat pile on his desk. The feeling of her magic roaming around his room sent shivers down his spine and he could feel his magical core hum in pleasure. “Tell me, Draco. This is not homework is it?” Draco got out of the bed slightly alarmed and tried to walk over to the bathroom as casually as he could. “We are doing an essay about the Glamour charm and I got a little carried away. I’ve clearly spent to much time with Granger.” Hopefully, the little lie he told would stick he thought as he quickly closed the bathroom door. He quickly washed his face, brushed his teeth and changed into a fresh uniform before trying to leave the bathroom naturally. The witch was seated on the same chair she had slept on a week prior and looked lost in thought. The blond cleared his throat as he approached and her eyes quickly found his. “I thought you were ordered to stay home for a week?” The witch smiled at him. “I got bored. So if you are doing an essay about the Glamour charm why do you have books about bonding rituals? Don’t tell me you have found a girlfriend in the time I was gone?” The smile turned almost scary at the end of the sentence and Draco knew he was in deep water. He was trying to think of an excuse but everything he thought of sounded more stupid than the next, thankfully luck was on his side that morning as someone knocked on his door loudly. “Oi! Draco! Get up already!” The voice of Blaise could easily be heard from the other side and he hurried to open it. “I’m already awake you menace, shut up.” Blaise looked over his head and noticed Auror Blackmoore seated behind them and gave the witch a polite nod. “Ah, well I’ll be going ahead then.” The taller wizard smirked at him as he walked down the hallway. Draco turned to face the Auror still quietly seated. “We should leave, Auror Blackmoore, or we will be late for breakfast.” The brunette simply nodded and got up from the chair brushing off invisible dust from her uniform robes. The blond went to get his book bag and whispered a quiet thank you to Salazar for helping him out of that situation. Soon they found themselves walking side by side out of the Slytherin dorm and the Auror was the first to break the silence. “You filled out your papers with Auror Zouch yesterday, correct?” “Yes.” She snickered softly at him. “I guess you didn’t get out on taking the truth serum this time, hm?” Draco shuddered slightly as he remembered taking the potion in front of the most information rich man in probably the whole country, thankfully he had the courtesy to Silencio him right afterwards so whatever he was saying was not heard. “To be honest Auror Blackmoore, that wizard scares me.” She laughed openly now which made the students closest to them stare at her with curious glances. “Yes, he has that effect on people but I can assure you, you won’t find a more loyal Slytherin. That man will keep a secret until his dying breath.” The blond hoped she was telling the truth when he thought back to the interrogation the wizard had done to him a few days ago. It still made him wonder how he had just talked without thinking about it. It was clear the Auror had some tricks up his sleeve that made people talk. 

The Great Hall was buzzing with the usual chatter from students and Draco could feel hundreds of eyes in his direction. It took him a second but figured that it was the Auror they were looking at. The attack had of course not been a secret for long and mostly everyone knew about the witch’s health situation but like they were alone in the room she walked to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Auror Thompson who to his surprise was seated there instead of the teachers’ table. The blond took a peek up at the said table and soon found the ice blue eyes of Auror Silver. He was not even hiding the fact that he was staring at the witch and Draco wondered if he knew that the witch had showed up at school this morning. He quickly seated himself opposite of the brunette next to Pansy who was in a full discussion with Auror Zabini about something the blond did not care to listen to. Instead, he focused on the pair in front of him. Auror Thompson was almost too happy this morning for the blond’s liking as he fussed over the witch next to him. “You sure you are healthy enough to be here?” “I told you already, I am just going to walk around the apartment in circles and die of boredom if I stay at home. It’s better to be here and do something useful.” She was picking at her sandwich on her plate clearly not having much of an apatite. “You better finish that sandwich then, before I shove it down your throat.” Draco raised an eyebrow at the wizard as he tore off a piece of his scone, he was certainly getting bolder he thought to himself. The brunette scowled at him before picking up the innocent piece of food and biting into it with unnecessary force. The wizard only laughed at her while getting back to his own breakfast. Their eyes met across the table and the other wizard’s eyes reminded the blond of a whirlpool trying to suck him into the dept of the lake. The Auror started to stroke Auror Blackmoore’s back without breaking eye contact with him, obviously a statement in itself. He was free to touch, while Draco was not. However, both of them focused on the witch when she started to cough this time though the blond was faster and gave her his glass of juice which she accepted. “You ok there, Prince? Not gonna fall dead on us are you?” Auror Zabini with the ever horrible timing said from a little down the table. The brunette waved at him after putting down the glass. “Not planning on it. I’m fine.” Draco looked at her worried. “Auror Blackmoore you should go back to your dorm and rest. I’m sure one of the others can take your shift, you were supposed to take it easy for a week.” The auburn haired Auror next to her nodded. “I agree with Mr Malfoy. I’ll look after him after I follow you to the office.” Auror Blackmoore sent them both glares that could easily have killed them both on the spot. “I don’t agree with this, so I refuse.” The blond was about to say something but got interrupted by Auror Thompson leaning over closer to her and whispering something in her ear. A faint blush grew on her cheeks and she got up quickly. “Fine! I’ll see you after lunch, Mr Malfoy.” He looked to the wizard that got up and he gave him the same predator smile from that time they had met in the Aurors’ bedroom. This time however it did not confuse him anymore and he knew the Auror thought he had won that round. Auror Zabini whistled loudly then proceeded to laugh. “Wow, he must have some dirt on Auror Blackmoore for her to actually listen.” Draco bit his lip and hoped that was not the case. 

The brunette was leaning against the wall looking at the students in front of her. Some were waiting patiently, others were almost tripping in place to get into the classroom to start the class. Artemis did not see the appeal as it was Burns that was the Professor but it seemed that some of the students seemed to like her, for reasons only Merlin could know. After some persuasion from Draco at the end of lunch, she had agreed to come to this class with him but had given him his wand a little while before they had arrived in the hallway just to be careful. She looked at him mingle with his friends and had to hide a grin when Potter was among them. The two boys stood side by side and talked to Weasley and Zabini like it was something they had been doing for years. From what she could hear they were discussing quidditch which was probably the few topics the boys could discuss without bringing up unnecessary hurt. Moving her eyes of the boys she looked over to the group of girls that hurdled close next to them and again she had to hide a grin as Granger and Parkinson were deep in discussing something. Granger’s eyebrows were knitted together in concentration and she was nodding along to what Parkinson was saying who in turn looked like she was telling someone a secret she had been forced to keep for too long. The week she had been gone a lot of weird friendships seemed to have sprouted. Artemis noticed the professor coming walking down the hall then and straighten herself the students broke apart and formed a neat order to enter the class as they did before every class. Burns gave her a polite nod and a sweet smile which the brunette only returned with a frown. The blond professor took a hold of the door then and pulled it open only to stop short in her tracks. “My, my. It seems the castle has moved the classroom since last week, students.” Curious, Artemis moved so she had view inside the room and had to stop a laugh as she saw that instead of the usual Defence classroom there was now a broom closet. “What do we do now, Professor?” Millicent Bulstrode spoke up while looking at the witch in question with big eyes. “Don’t worry my dears, I have a solution for this. Step back please.” The brunette raised her eyebrow at the other witch as she stepped back together with the students. Draco gave her a questioning look over his shoulder and she smirked at him in return. Whatever the so-called professor was going to do it was not going to work as the castle did not care for wizarding magic. Burns closed the door before taking one step back and proceeded to point her wand at it. “Reverte!” Artemis snorted and was excited to see what was going to appear on the other side of the door now, knowing the castle it was not the defence classroom that much was certain. The other witch smiled sweetly at everyone as she opened the door once more only to once again stop in her tracks. The closest students started to laugh as it now turned out that the broom closet had turned into a bathroom. “Expertly done, Professor Burns.” Artemis clapped at the other witch with a grin on her face. The green eyes that met hers were filled with spite as she calmly put her wand back into her robe. “Well students, it seems like the castle is stubborn today and refuses to give us a classroom so today’s class is cancelled. I will work on finding a classroom until next class.” The gang of students spoke up both in protest and in cheers of the class cancellation. The one that shouted the loudest about it was Granger as she stood there with a determined look. “But Professor! There are multiple classrooms in the castle that we can use, we can even ask the Headmistress if we can use the Transfiguration classroom. The N.E.W.Ts are too close for us to just skip a class like this.” The girl’s hair seemed to fizz at the ends as she spoke and the Ravenclaw Terry Boot nodded hard in agreement. “Hermione is correct, Professor! This just puts us in a negative position no matter how you look at it. It is frankly irresponsible.” For the first time since she had arrived at this school, she saw Burns’s sugar sweet mask slip for a second before she answered. “Now now, students. It’s not the end of the world if you miss one class. I will explain everything to the Headmistress now and we will get it sorted. I suggest that you use this time wisely and brush up on Defence in a theoretical manner instead. Good day to all of you.” The Professor hastily made her way through the sea of students and all but sprinted down the hall to getaway. Hearing that they would have to study the very practical subject from books seemed the put all of the students on edge and Granger looked even madder now than earlier. “Theoretical?! How insanely stupid!” Everyone looked at Granger in shock at her outburst and the girl blushed when she noticed everyone staring at her. “Calm down, ‘Mione. Let’s just go to the library and study something else.” Lovegood patted her friend on the shoulder and the girls smiled at each other. 

Suddenly, Artemis could feel someone staring at her and quickly found Weasley’s eyes on her. “Guys, there is an Auror following us wherever we go these days.” The wizard then proceeded to point at her and she raised her eyebrows at him. “Correction Mr Weasley. I’m following Mr Malfoy wherever he goes. You just happened to be here as well.” The redhead simply grinned at her in response before continuing. “Sure, but you are a Senior Auror right?” Artemis looked at the rest of the group before she answered and noticed that most of them were now looking like they understood what Weasley was getting at. “I am yes. Your point, Mr Weasley?” The tall wizard grinned even wider. “You could teach us instead of Burns! I bet you know tons more than that witch anyway.” Artemis looked at the group wide eyed as they all burst into a cheer, all of them applauded Weasley for the good suggestion and now nineteen pairs of pleading eyes looked back at her. “I am sorry but I am not qualified to teach anyone.” Some of them looked defeated until Zabini took a step forward. “That’s a lie, miss! My older brother told me that you sometimes step in to teach junior Aurors. So you are more than qualified to teach us.” The boy crossed his arms and smirked at her in victory. Thinking about it for a second she was not really against teaching them, maybe they would actually get to learn something that could help them and not just practice warding charms every week. Her wounds were more or less healed and maybe she could get out some frustration by shouting these young wizards and witches some orders. “Fine, fine. I yield. You win. I’ll take on the task to teach you Defence, but for that I need help.” Again the students started to cheer as she took out her wand and cast Expecto Patronum. “Zabini, get your arse to the Room of Requirement and bring our duelling gear.” The butterfly flew down the hallway in haste as she turned to the students. “Before we go let me tell you that I will not go easy on any of you. You are all adults and I will treat you as such so this will be a taste of what Junior Auror training will be and since none of you is forced to be here I will excuse anyone that is not willing to be here. You are free to choose if you rather would use your time studying anything else.” The brunette crossed her arms and waited for a minute, surprisingly, none of the students moved. “Well then, you will now address me as Auror Blackmoore and you will follow my every order. Are we clear?” “Yes, Auror Blackmoore!” Artemis looked to a grinning Potter who had stood at attention when he had yelled and she returned the grin. “Two lines. Boys on the right, girls to the left. Now follow me. You are free to talk.” The students hurried to form the lines and an exciting humming formed as she turned around and started to make her way towards the seventh floor hearing clear footsteps behind her. Her body hummed in anticipation to teach again and to get her thoughts set on something else. The brunette’s mind had been filled with what had happened over the last week and because of this, she had only managed to stay in her own apartment for one day before giving up and going back to Hogwarts. The other wizards had protested and insisted that she go and rest some more but she had refused. Even though this meant seeing Orion and Cyril scowling at each other every day. The two men had obviously gotten some bad blood between them with what Orion had done with Burns but even though how many times Artemis twisted her head around that she still found it hard to believe that the blond wizard had been in that office for the things Cyril thought. What she did not like was that the wizard had lied to her when she had asked about it. Cyril, on the other hand, was growing bolder by the hour and touched her now more frequently and especially in front of Orion but at the moment Artemis did not mind the physical contact from the man. Him stroking her back at breakfast had been strangely reassuring and even if he had threatened to kiss her in front of the entire Great Hall if she didn’t do as she was told she still didn’t blame the man. The kiss the two had shared only two days prior still flashed in her mind from time to time anyway and it was something pleasant to think about. She hadn’t really thought about going any further with him but didn’t find herself opposing the idea either. Besides, he had been sweet but polite when he had followed her back to the office and made sure she had everything she needed before he left. She had ended up catching up on some paperwork then sleeping for a couple of hours even though she still found that fascinating from practically being asleep for five days in a row. 

As she stopped everyone to wait for those that were lagging behind because of the moving stairs at the beginning to the seventh floor hall a German Shepard Patronus came bouncing excitedly down the hall. It did a lap around the group before sitting down in front of Artemis. “I’m almost there!” Zacharias sounded a little winded which mean he was running to catch up to them. The younger Zabini looked at her with pleading eyes from behind Draco as the dog vanished. “Did you have to invite my brother, Auror Blackmoore?” She grinned at him. “As much as I hate to admit it Mr Zabini, your brother is one of the best duellers the Ministry has, there is none better to help me.” Zabini let out a groan as he leaned his head on Draco’s shoulder, which just made the blond wizard laugh at him. Artemis waited for another minute before she did a headcount and seeing they were everyone she started her march towards the wall the Room was located. The excited hum that had fallen over the students seemed to grow in volume as she walked back and forth in front of the wall to the Room of Requirement and soon a door started to form gracefully. Opening it she let the students in first and noticed that Zabini came running down the hall. “Took you long enough, Queen.” The wizard was slightly out of breath as he grinned at her. “You caught me in the middle of patrolling the outskirts of the school but I say I got here right on time. So why the sudden urge to duel?” Artemis pointed to the students inside the classroom. “Castle moved Burns’s classroom so instead of bothering to find somewhere else to have the class she simply cancelled it and your brother together with Weasley is a persuasive combo.” The dark Auror laughed at her as he took a look inside but suddenly the laughter died in his throat and he looked slightly out of comfort. “Sorry, but seems like the castle is pulling our legs here…” Artemis frowned at him in confusion before studying the room in question and froze in place. It was the same Defence classroom they had seen her true self for the first time back in seventh year. The only difference was that the furniture was placed neatly where it was supposed to be and the windows were still intact. Zabini leaned down to her and whispered in her ear. “Look at the stage.” She didn’t want to but her eyes got drawn to it automatically and there it was the chair that she had been sitting in, bound and bleeding. The students had already taken their seats and were waiting for the two Aurors to start the lesson so they had no choice but to go with it. The brunette swallowed and shook her head furiously before taking a deep breath. “It’s just a room, Queen.” She whispered back at him and their eyes met for a quick second before the both of them moved to the front of the classroom and got up on stage. Zabini took the chair and placed it on the floor without saying anything and Artemis took a peek at the stage floor and shuddered. There was a slight discolouration where the chair had stood and she cursed the castle for playing such a cruel joke. She met the worried eyes of Draco who was seated on the first row next to the younger Zabini, it was clear he could somehow tell that something was wrong. The brunette gave him a slight smile before turning her attention to the rest of the class. “Alright, now that everyone is here let’s begin. Auror Zabini you remembered the duelling gear I hope?” Zabini grinned at her before pulling two small pieces of fabric out of his pocket as well as unsheathing his wand from its holster. He tapped the two pieces carefully and they quickly grew to their original sizes, he handed her the duelling cloak as he started to take off his own uniform robe. “So, we showing these kids how it’s done then?” His eyes were filled with challenge and she smirked at him while she unbuttoned her own uniform. “Correct. Better to give a demonstration before we start don’t you think?” He laughed as he flung his robe to the chair that was once on stage and put on the duelling cloak and Artemis quickly followed suit. The duelling cloaks were not strictly necessary but if they were to go all-in it was best to be careful, these robes were made to take more rough spells head on than their usual uniforms and it was easier to move in them. It had been a while since she had worn it so she took her time to stretch her arms to make sure it was suited correctly. “Alright, Auror Zabini and I will show you how a duel is done in Junior Auror training. No need for you to take notes as it is better for you to pay attention to what is going on stage. If you have questions you can ask them after. You will then also get the chance to duel each other with our supervision. Ready, Auror Zabini?” The wizard bowed at her mockingly and some of the students snickered at him. “Ready as ever!” Both of them walked to the middle of the stage facing each other wand in hand. Zabini looked down at her with a grin. “No cheating, and it’s been a while so how about first to draw blood wins?” Artemis looked up at him with a similar grin as she twirled her wand between her fingers. “I would never. You’re on, Zabini.” With a final laugh, they both turned around and walked to the end of the stage, the second they turned around Artemis flung the first spell: “Oppungo!”

Harry watched with wide eyes as the chair that the Aurors had thrown their uniforms on flew towards Auror Zabini’s face at a rapid speed. In the last second, the wizard shouted a “Reducto!” making it rain splinters over both of them. Both of them had the look of predators fighting for dominance and it sent shivers down his spine. They sent hexes towards each other without mercy and terrifying accuracy but every time it looked like one would connect the other managed to block in the last second. As Harry watched he studied both of the Aurors as close as he could, it was clear that Auror Blackmoore was more of an offensive dueller as she used the hexes that would do more damage but that did not mean she could not block a direct spell sent her way. On the other hand Auror, Zabini was more defensive and sent fewer hexes and focused more on blocking but when he first sent one in the witch’s direction it would do some major damage if she was not quick enough to block. The people around him had started to cheer for the one they hoped would win but it did not look like the Aurors were paying them any attention. Harry could even hear Hermione behind him cheering for Auror Blackmoore while Ron next to him was surprisingly rooting for Auror Zabini. It was like watching a complicated dance that only the dancers knew about as they used the whole stage to their advantage which was bigger than the one he had duelled Malfoy on back in second year he noticed. Finally, Auror Zabini got a spell to connect and Auror Blackmoore flew backwards and landed on the floor of the classroom. The room was silent for several seconds as Harry looked at Auror Zabini. He was calm and was just waiting patiently for the witch to get up, proof that he knew exactly how much of a beating the woman could handle before she called it quits. The brunette got to her feet quickly and brushed off her robes and climbed back onto the stage calmly, a smirk on her face. “Lucky shot, Zabini. No blood yet I’m afraid.” “What a shame. Gotta try harder next time then. Incendio Tria!”. A huge breath of fire came out of the wizard's wand and seemed to connect to its target but suddenly Auror Blackmoore’s voice could clearly be heard inside the fiery inferno. “Really, Zabini? Incendio tria? Impedimenta!” The dark Auror immediately floated backwards in slow motion and the brunette walked out of the flames surrounded by a shielding charm and pushed him over the stage's edge making him fall on his back slowly. Seconds before he hit the ground however she broke the spell and he hit the floor in full force making him grunt out in pain. The witch stood on stage and laughed at him. “Payback.” The wizard was quick on his feet and back on the stage as he snickered. “This is why you never trust a Gryffindor, people!” It amazed Harry how the two of them could look like sworn enemies to best friends in a matter of seconds and he wondered if he and Malfoy would get this friendship eventually. He took a peek at the blond wizard who had his eyes glued to the stage mumbling something to himself. Probably a silent cheer for Auror Blackmoore to win he reasoned. It had been weird seeing him in a state between sorrow and agony for the entire week only to return to his old snarky self at breakfast on Sunday morning. The raven head had breathed a sigh of relief when he had heard that Auror Blackmoore had woken up and was ok but he had to admit that he was also glad to have the old Malfoy back. He felt like he was straight back in sixth year again when Auror Silver had come to him and asked if he could keep an eye on Malfoy for him since the other Aurors were too busy with other things. The raven head liked to think that it was thanks to him that they had managed to figure out so fast that something was wrong when he had not found Malfoy inside Hogwarts that Monday afternoon and had decided to report it to one of the Aurors. What he was most thankful for was that they all had taken him seriously and immediately started to investigate where they could have gone instead of brushing him off as being paranoid. The fascinating dance had started again and Harry found himself once again glued to the stage in awe. It seemed like hours passed before anything happened next but finally Auror Zabini got the final blow. He managed to sneak in a cutting hex in between two shielding charms which took Auror Blackmoore by surprise and a small cut appeared on her cheek showing a small amount of blood. Immediately both of them lowered their wands and they both bowed to each other before turning and bowing to their audience. With his friends, he stood up from his chair and applauded loudly, to him it didn’t matter who won. It had been incredible to watch. Both of the Aurors stood on stage to get their breaths back and come down from the adrenaline high the both of them most likely had right now before Auror Blackmoore raised her hand to quiet them. The room feels quiet and they all sat down again. “I hope that was to your liking, everyone. As you saw from the spells we used this was exactly how a duel goes during training. If someone is out to hurt you, you need to be prepared for anything. This is why we duel with high level spells and hexes. It goes without saying but Unforgivables are of course still not allowed to be used unless it is absolutely necessary in the field.” As she talked Auror Zabini pointed his wand at her cheek and mumbled a healing spell which made the cut disappear entirely. Harry could tell that Hermione had raised her hand behind him without even looking and was not surprised when Auror Zabini called her name. “Have any of you ever used one in the field?” Without even blinking both of them answered “Yes.” at the same time. Silence fell over the room before Auror Zabini grinned at them. “Anymore questions? Or do we have some volunteers to give this a go, eh?”

A couple of people raised their hands and Auror Blackmoore pointed to Neville first. The boy looked up at the two Aurors on stage nervously before asking his question. “Are we going to have to duel to first blood too, Auror Blackmoore?” The brunette smiled reassuringly at him. “No, Mr Longbottom you will be given a time limit of three minutes no matter if there is a victor or not.” Harry had to grin at Neville as the boy breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, Miss Bulstrode?” Auror Zabini pointed at Bulstrode that was sitting in the back row. “Are we allowed to use physical violence?” Everyone turned to look at the girl but she simply shrugged as the dark Auror cleared his throat. “No, that will not be allowed. Only magic is permitted in a duel but if you ever find yourself alone without a wand of course you would have to use every option available. The little one next to me here can really pack a punch if she is in danger and yes, I speak from experience.” The class laughed as Auror Blackmoore hit him on the shoulder presumably hard as he winced before laughing himself. The brunette huffed as she pointed to Terry Boot that was sitting on the first middle row next to Anthony Goldstein. “Yes, Mr Boot?” “Can’t we just Accio the opponent’s wand into our own hands and win that way?” The witch grinned at him. “Well you are free to try but usually you would use Expelliarmus for that. Alright, one more question then we move on, Mr Macmillian?” The boy looked over at Harry sheepishly. “Can we use wandless magic?” The raven head looked at the other boy surprised and thought if he had ever used wandless magic in a duel, knowing himself he probably did it without thinking about it. Zacharias Smith elbowed his friend has he snickered at him. “Can you even use wandless magic?” Ernie grinned again as he shrugged. “Well some of you can, I believe it is a fair question.” Auror Zabini clapped his hand to get everyone’s attention and waited to answer until all eyes were on him. “If that is something you can do then you are allowed. Now! Who wants to go first?” Harry was quick to raise his hand as his body was almost vibrating from the waiting. Auror Zabini pointed at him to get on stage and he hurriedly got up from his seat and easy enough climbed up to stand next to him. Auror Blackmoore took off her duelling robe and gave it to him. “Put this on Mr Potter, I’ll charm it to fit.” For once Harry was fast to follow orders and in a matter of a minute, he stood there in the brunette’s robe perfectly fitted to his body. A rush of adrenaline was already starting to go through him in excitement. “Now who wants to duel Mr Potter?” The classroom was silent for a long time before Auror Blackmoore pointed to Malfoy. “Mr Malfoy. On stage please.” Malfoy sighed dramatically before he did as he was told. The witch sent him a mischievous grin as he walked passed her to grab Auror Zabini’s duelling robe and put it on. The room filled with excited noise again as the two of them got ready and they soon found themselves face to face again. “Just like second-year huh, Malfoy?” The blond smirked down at him with a glint of humour in his eyes. “Scared, Potter?” Harry snorted loudly. “You wish, Malfoy.” The two Auror’s stepped down from the stage to make room for them and both of them looked at Auror Blackmoore for instructions. “Right gentlemen, as both of you can use wandless magic you are free to do so but I want most use with your wands. You have three minutes to beat each other up but if it goes too far I will step in and stop you. Are you ready?” Harry looked at Malfoy for a second before he nodded, the blond smirked at him in return and a whistle could be heard loud and clear. They both did the gracious bow and walked to each end of the stage and as Auror Blackmoore had done before him Malfoy sent off a spell the moment he turned around making Harry the first one to block. This dance went on for a while before the raven head decided to switch it up and peppered the blond with offensive spells making him almost connect a couple. He found himself laughing as this was the most fun thing he had done since returning to school. The raven head had decided to start his relationship with Malfoy all over again but before the Aurors had come to school all they had done was give each other polite nods in the hallways. He felt he knew the other man better now and understood more of the reasons why he did the things he did during the war. If Harry were, to be honest with himself he would probably do the same things himself to keep his family alive. Malfoy was also the only one that had ever talked to him straight, never given him stupid excuses or treated him like a Saviour. In a fight, they both had fought dirty and made mistakes but somehow it all made sense. The blond was grinning at him in return probably feeling the rush himself now as he showed Harry no mercy in the spells he was sending his way. Way too soon a loud whistle could be heard in the room and both of the boys stopped dead in their tracks. It was like returning from a dream as the raven head looked down at his classmates and he found himself breathing hard and his shirt was sticky on his back from sweat. All of them cheered loudly at them and the Aurors applauded them. “Good show, you two!” Auror Zabini grinned at them both as he climbed back on stage. A swell of pride rose in Harry’s chest at the compliment and he looked to Malfoy and saw a similar expression on his face. “Very good yes but a few pointers to you both. Mr Potter, you need to be quicker with your shields as they are cutting too short sometimes and you need to practise your aim while you send off more than one spell at a time. Multiple of them went more to the left of Mr Malfoy’s head which made it easier for him to dodge and Mr Malfoy you need to think more about your opponent’s height. You are a tall wizard but that does not mean your opponent is so you need to aim further down.” Harry took the information to heart and was going to remember this for next time, it were good pointers to know and he nodded seriously at the brunette. “Yes, Auror Blackmoore.” Auror Zabini patted both of them on the back as he grinned widely. “You guys should join us on the force! It’s been a while since I’ve seen that kind of show and you both would crush some Aurors I know in a duel.” The raven head smiled widely in return as Ron shouted: “Harry is the strongest wizard there is! He would mop the floor with them!” Harry blushed at his friend outburst and the discussion that erupted in the room. Auror Blackmoore had at one point gotten up on stage again and was helping Malfoy out of his robes and the raven head grinned at him when a soft blush coloured his usually pale skin. 

Artemis helped Draco out of the uniform and charmed it into the proper size before handing it back to Zabini. The two boys had shown incredible prowess in duelling and it had genuinely impressed her. That was the aftermath of fighting for their lives during a war she reasoned. The blond’s eyes were like a thunderstorm and he was still slightly out of breath from the adrenaline rushing through his body and from what she could tell Potter was dealing with the same. However, both of them looked like they would happily do it again if they were allowed to do so. The brunette turned her attention to the classroom and held up a hand for them to be quiet when the silence did not follow, however, she cleared her throat. “Silence!” Everyone jumped at the sudden volume coming from the witch and she smirked at them all. “Thank you. Now take your seats Mr Malfoy, Mr Potter.” She watched as the boys did as they were told and took a moment to check the time, it showed that it was thirty minutes left until dinner. “Seems like we are out of time so you are all free to go to dinner. Let’s hope Burns has found a classroom for all of you for her next class.” The brunette was surprised by the protest that started in the room and she looked over to Zacharias who raised his eyebrow at her. “I refuse to attend anymore of her classes after what happened today. She showed no professionalism at all!” The young Zabini spoke up now at the same time as he stood up. “I’ve learned more this class alone than the entire years worth of classes from that ‘Professor’.” Zacharias bowed deeply at his little brother. “What an honour to hear those words coming from you my dear little brother!” Artemis rolled her eyes at her friend and crossed her arms. “I’m sorry Mr Zabini but we are not teachers, sadly, she is so she is the one that is supposed to teach you.” The protests grew even louder now and the dark Auror next to her flung an arm around her shoulders. “Listen, Prince. What if we teach them behind Burns’s back? Then they might actually pass their N.E.W.Ts you know? I’ve been with Malfoy for some of his classes and Merlin’s beard she is genuinely awful at her job.” Artemis gave the wizard a hard look. “That is not our job Queen and you know it. If McGonagall finds out we are dead in the water!” She said between gritted teeth. The wizard smirked his standard Slytherin smile when he was really up to something. “First of all, Prince. You called me Queen, so you are not really mad. Second, when did you ever follow McGonagall’s rules? Third, you hate Burns, they hate Burns so win-win.” The brunette was thinking hard about what he was suggesting as she looked over the classroom. Everyone was looking at the two Aurors in excitement waiting patiently for what they were talking about. In the end, she sighed loudly. “Fine, but this needs to be planed before we do anything. Got it?” Zacharias turned towards the students with a wicked grin on his face. “Well class, you have two new teachers but this needs to be kept on the down low. McGonagall can’t know about this or she will have all of our heads and give us all detention in the Forbidden Forest.” “We won’t say anything and if anyone snitches I will personally hex their shoes to the ceiling, understand?” Parkinson was the one that stood up and threatened the entire room at which everyone nodded in agreement. Artemis smiled at the witch and motioned her to sit again. “I want all of you to think about what you need to work on the most, it can be anything, from the simplest shielding spell to more complex duelling, we will make sure you learn everything you need to know. Now run off to dinner before anyone suspects you all of being kidnapped.” Everyone was quick to pick up their school bags, only the Slytherins seemed to take their time. Zacharias looked at Artemis confused but she sent him after the rest of the students as him not showing up for dinner would be weirder than her missing it. She said nothing as she sat down on the edge of the stage taking a deep breath. “Are you alright Auror Blackmoore?” She met the eyes of Theodore Nott that was standing in front of her with his bookbag slung over his shoulder. The boy had been quiet the entire class but he had been paying attention to everything that had been done. “Yes, nothing to worry about Mr Nott.” All of the Slytherins behaved strangely and were reluctant to leave. “There is nobody here but us now so out with it, what do you want to ask?” The little group exchanged looks before Parkinson stepped forward nervousness clear on her face. “When you said that we could ask about anything did you mean that?” Artemis’s face turned to that of surprise as she nodded. “Yes, of course.” The young witch fiddled with the hem of her robe before she gathered the courage to ask the question right out. “Can you teach us how to use Expecto Patronum?” The Auror’s eyes softened as she studied the five Slytherins before her. She understood it now why they had waited for the others to leave as it might spark negative reactions between the houses. All of them had found themselves on the wrong side of the battle and not by their own choice. The brunette met Draco’s eyes and she knew what her answer was going to be. “Alright, I will teach you but it requires a lot of work from all of you as well. That is not an easy charm to master and it takes time and patience. One thing you need to find for yourself is the happiest memory you can think of, no matter how small, no matter how simple we will try them all until it works.” Parkinson threw herself at Artemis and hugged her tight in the spur of the moment while the poor witch started to sob. “T… Thank you, Auror Blackmoore.” Zabini started to blush at his friend's behaviour and pried her off. “Come on Pans’, don’t embarrass us further.” Artemis laughed at them as they all relaxed their poses. “I understand that you guys don’t really have a good image of us Aurors after the war but I’ll assure you that I will help with anything I can. Let’s go to dinner, hm?” She hopped down from the stage and took the lead to leave the room hearing eager footsteps behind her. As she closed the door behind them she swore she felt a cold breeze with a sweet smell of blood blow past her face making the demon inside her thrash in rage. Artemis closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down before following the Slytherins. It was easy to tell that a pair of stormy grey eyes were following her every move.


	16. Truth

Dinner had been a peaceful event up until the point where a loud shout from the Saviour came from the Gryffindor table. “Shut up, Ginny!”. Artemis, together with the rest of the Slytherin table turned to face their neighbouring table with interest and surprise. They watched as the boy wonder got up from his seat and started to storm towards the big doors but seemed to change his mind before he got all the way there, instead, he turned and walked up to were Artemis was sitting. She studied him as he simply stood there quiet, trying to keep his rage in check. “Something I can do for you, Mr Potter?” He tried to open his mouth several times but didn’t seem to get the words out. “Spit it out already, Potter.” Draco’s slightly harsh tone snapped him out of whatever he was debating and his eyes cleared up somewhat as he pointed to the seat next to her. “Mind if I take a seat? I didn’t get to finish my dinner.” The entire Great Hall held its breath in anticipation for what the answer was going to be and Artemis took a peek over to the Gryffindor table. The expressions of Potter’s friends’ faces was enough to almost make her want to start laughing like a maniac and she pushed Zacharias who was sitting to her right to move aside. “Have a seat, Mr Potter.” Potter gave her a thankful expression as he sat down between her and Zacharias. Around them the students started to talk over themselves and from the little Artemis could pick up rumours were already starting to flow. The dark Auror patted him on the shoulder as he grinned at him. “Welcome to the snake pit, Mr Potter! Trouble in paradise?” Someone kicked him underneath the table and the man winced, the raven head only laughed slightly as his unfinished dinner plate showed up before him. “You could say that. The duel you had today was really impressive Auror Zabini. How did you manage to sneak in the spell-like that?” It looked like her friend was about to question the young wizard further about his girl problems so she sends a silent stinging hex at his back and got a scowl in return. She smiled innocently at him. Zacharias cleared his throat before he answered. “Well, me and Blackmoore know each other quite wellso I know some of her weaknesses. Then again she didn’t cheat this time so that helps.” He smirked at her but the brunette just rolled her eyes. “But it is all about studying your opponent as much as you can before going in for the kill. Of course, you can get lucky and get a direct hit early but never count on luck if your life is at stake.” Artemis tuned out the rest of his explanation as she had heard it hundreds of times before and focused on eating her dinner instead. Severus’s voice was still clear in her mind, all she had to do was work up the courage to tell Draco the message. The dream she had was slowly coming back to her but bits and pieces were still missing. It was clear that the witch had asked him straight out why he had given the order to Orion to not tell her about his death but she could not remember what he had answered. She had therefore decided that she would not confront Orion about anything until she remembered that part clearly. Besides, it was the whole thing with Burns that was bugging her. Had he really gone to her office to have sex with the most despicable woman in the whole country when she was in a coma? It was hard to believe. She was brought out of her thoughts by someone poking her on the shoulder and she looked at Draco on her left, the boy was giving her a worried look. “You alright, Auror Blackmoore?” She smiled at him in return. “Yes, a lot on my mind, but I’m fine. I assume you are going back to the Slytherin dorm now?” It looked like the young Malfoy didn’t believe her but instead of pointing it out he only nodded. “I promised Pansy to help her with potions after dinner.” Potter leaned closer to Artemis to look past her then and looked at Draco with pleading eyes. “Can you go to the library for that? The homework we got from Slughorn makes no sense to me and I really don’t want to ask Hermione right now. Besides, you owe me Malfoy.” The brunette looked between the two boys amused as they stared each other down in challenge until Draco let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine, Pansy is that okay?” The girl in question grinned at him while she nodded. “Let’s make it a study date then! I know some of the Hufflepuffs needed help with that homework too.” The raven head looked at the witch dumbstruck. “When did you make friends with the Hufflepuffs, Parkinson?” The girl simply shrugged and didn’t comment any further on it. “I’ll follow you all over to the library then I am sure you can take care of yourselves for a while, hm? Sadly I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on.” Artemis thought about the pile of papers that had built up on her desk the last week and sighed to herself. Draco looked at her with yet another worried look but didn’t protest. “I can escort them, I need some new reading material anyway, you can go straight to the office.” Septimus sent her an understanding smile from the other side of the table and she gave him a smile in return. “Alright, I’ll leave them in your hands. I will see you all later then.” Artemis pushed her half-finished dinner away from her as she got up and she could feel Orion’s gaze on her from the teacher's table. “Behave now, hm?” The brunette patted both Draco and Potter on the shoulder before leaving the Great Hall.

A few hours into tackling the paperwork that had piled up Artemis found herself pulling on her hair as she read a report that had somehow gotten on her desk instead of someone else back at the Ministry. For the life of her, she did not understand why this had been sent to her when it clearly was meant for someone in the Magical Creature section. Mumbling a curse she charmed it back into an airplane and threw it over to the fireplace where it kept flying around in circles patiently waiting for the flames to turn green. When she was on her way to get up she felt something like a needle prick on her brand mark. Puzzled she felt around for Orion and found him on his way in her direction. But the brand had never pricked her that way before. When he had used it to wake her up those weeks ago it was more of a burning pain. Not a little prick. The witch was still standing behind her desk with a frown on her face when the man in question walked in. He studied her with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he went over to his desk. She looked back at him in visible confusion. “I just felt like someone was pricking the branding mark with a needle. What did you do?” His expression matched hers then. “I didn’t do anything. Surely you imagined it?” Artemis stood there like a statue and waited, but it did not happen again. Maybe she had just imagined it. The brunette peeked a look at the blond and was surprised he looked so calm. Of course, his emotions were a mess, she could feel that easily. They had not had a real talk since the visit to the hospital and it was clear he was hurt. Sighing she went over to the fireplace and threw some floo powder inside. “Ministry of Magic.” The plane immediately flew through the flames, disappeared and the flames turned their normal orange. “Sending a message to someone?” Artemis had to bite her lip not to giggle at the poor attempt at small talk the wizard showed. “I got a report that was supposed to go to someone in the Magical Creature section by mistake. How on earth that happened only Merlin knows.” Orion mumbled something about people being idiots under his breath while she decided to take a chance and sat down on the side of his desk. He looked at her surprised but there were waves of uncertainty that washed over her. Their eyes locked and she simply studied his eyes for a minute without saying anything. The icy blue had not changed during the week she was asleep and she was once again reminded about how different his and Cyril’s eyes were. “Why did you lie?” His eyes grew wide before he looked away. “Why did you believe Cyril?” “Did he lie?” Her heart didn’t even skip a beat before she answered his question with another question. Two could play that game. It was quiet for a long time before Orion took a deep breath and looked back at her with glossy eyes. “I thought you were dead.” Waves of sorrow and guilt washed over her as she now looked down at a wizard she had never seen before. Orion clearly showed her his sorrow on his face and somehow it made him seem older as his hands were gripping the armrests on his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The brunette had noticed that he had lost weight during her week of absence and the blond didn’t look as pristine as he once did. This incident had clearly taken a toll on him. Her eyes softened and felt some of the anger she had kept vaporise. “I’m still here, Orion.” The blond didn’t say anything as he got up from his chair with such force that it clattered to the floor and pulled her into an embrace making them both stand in the progress. Momentarily shocked Artemis stood still while listening to his heartbeat. It was beating wildly and he kept hugging her tighter as he spoke. “I didn’t feel anything. It was like you were never there in the first place. It was only my own emotions and no matter how much I tried I could not reach you. I didn’t sleep or eat for three days, I was terrified to leave your side. I don’t know what Cyril told you but it’s true, I was in Burns’s office when you needed help.” She was about to struggle herself out of his grip as she felt the anger start to rise again but he tightened his hold on her even more and pushed her up against the desk so she could not go anywhere. “Please hear me out this time, Artemis. You can try and kill me afterwards if that is what you want.” His voice was soft yet demanding at the same time and she stopped struggling instead leaning her head against his chest again. Relaxing slightly he took a deep breath again before continuing. “I was in Burns’s office that day. She told me she had some information about Malfoy that I could not ignore. I soon found myself unable to move and my mind was all muddled. The bitch had a muscle drug potion set up in her office but there was something else in there. When Cyril got me out several hours had already passed and I only got your emotions as a delayed reaction.” It was Artemis’s turn to look up at him with wide eyes as she felt the rage awaken fully. “What did she do to you?” He placed his left hand on her cheek then and in too calm of a voice replied. “She wanted to take advantage of me. She believes that you somehow have me under an Imperius or a love potion.” The brunette looked up at him dumbfounded. “So why haven’t you arrested her?! You are a Senior Auror for fucks sake, she can’t get away with this!” To her surprise, a deep chuckle came from the wizard and he put his other hand on her other cheek. “I need to figure out what else was in that room. I could not feel your call for help and I am not letting that happen again. Now I have a question on my own.” His hands tightened around her jaw then and his eyes turned hard as ice. “What did Cyril do when you were alone with him at the hospital?” She didn’t really want to tell him but the words fell out of her mouth before she managed to stop it. The jealousy was raging inside her like a storm that just had reached its peak and it was not going to stop without an answer. “He kissed me.” Orion let her go and started to march towards the painting. “Orion, where are you going?” As he opened the painting he turned around and looked at her with a smirk that sent shivers down her spine. “To kill him. Stay here.” Artemis felt her feet lock in place and felt her own rage rise tenfold as she understood that he had given her a direct order. She might have been able to break it but not without doing great harm to her own body. The brunette summoned a Patronus and gave it a message; “Orion is coming for you. Be prepared.” 

Orion was fuelled by rage and jealousy the second the words _‘He_ _kissed me._ ’ left her lips. The one thing he wanted to do was kill Cyril for what he had done. He could live with the constant touching and cheek kisses, but this was a line that now was crossed and Orion would not stand for it. Artemis was his and his alone. Even if he had other lovers in the past at the end of the day it was still her that was on his mind. The emptiness he had felt over the last week was something he refused to go through again. It had crossed his mind plenty of times before that it might be the bond that was making him attracted to her and that he only wanted her for her body but now that he had experienced the silence he knew for sure that that was not the case. His head was still filled with only thoughts of her and it was driving him insane. He would get beaten for giving her an order later but right now he needed her to stay put and not interfere. The blond found his target sitting on a bench in the courtyard and the other Auror stood up and readied his wand when their eyes met. “Calm down, Orion. I’m not going to fight you among the students. We can talk about this.” Without replying Orion sent the first spell at the man who easily shielded against it. “I have warned you plenty of times to back off Cyril, why are you not listening?” The few students that were outside at this late hour were watching them intensely and some ran to take cover from the spells. It would not take long for a teacher to get the message of the fight that was going on. “And I have told you plenty of times that it’s not happening!” The wizard was not sending any spells back at him but Orion had already decided he would not show mercy this time. “Alarte Ascendare.” The students around them let out loud gasps of horror as Cyril flew high up in the air but seemed to manage to throw a cushioning charm on the ground right before he hit the ground, however, he did not get up and instead threw a shielding charm around himself. “Th…That’s all you got? Cheating is rude you know” He was ‘cheating’, Orion knew it but at the moment he was too angry not to tap into the power the bond gave him. A spell was ready on his lips as he pointed the tip directly at the wizard on the ground before his wand flew out of his hand and landed a few meters away from him. Frowning he looked to his right and saw Zacharias step out of the shadows with his wand raised at him. “Back off, King. I don’t want to hex and unarmed wizard.” Orion raised his hands and backed away from Cyril who the dark Auror helped to his feet. “You alright, mate?” The other wizard nodded as he pocketed his wand. “What in Merlin’s name is going on here?! Explain yourself!” The blond swallowed back a curse as the Headmistress came running towards them with some scared students on her tail. “Not to worry, Headmistress it’s all taken care of. All of you should go back to whatever you were doing.” Zacharias gave his most professional smile to the old witch as he grabbed Orion’s arm tightly. The blond did not have to be bonded to the man to feel the rage that was underneath his fingertips. “I get the message that two of the Aurors are fighting in the courtyard and you tell me not to worry Auror Zabini?” The wizard continued to smile. “Correct. Now if you would excuse us, Headmistress.” Zacharias started to pull Orion after him forcefully and he saw that Cyril picked up his wand quickly before following. The blond noticed that he was limping slightly so he must have hurt his leg when he landed. A slight wave of guilt came over him now that his rage had pulled back slightly. But it was also then he noticed the rage that was not is own and it made him lose his breath for a second, making him cough. “Feel her fury now, King?” The dark Auror pulled him after him even harder as he set course for what had to be the office as the rage he was feeling was making it harder to breathe for every step they took. The blond could not pull out of his grip now even if he wanted to. The Headmistress was still shouting something after them but it didn’t reach Orion’s ears as they passed students on their way. “Where is Artemis?” The blond could not answer the auburn haired wizard as he was struggling to breathe but Zacharias answered for him. “Orion here ordered her to stay put in the office. I just happened to come in after he had left. Good thing she can pinpoint you down to the exact location. Made it easy to find you. I’m gonna warn you though, she is bloody angry. But I guess you feel that already.” He could see the look of surprise on Cyril’s face which quickly turned to disgust. The humorous glint in Zacharias’s eyes was also gone.

They were outside of the painting and the second it opened an air of frost escaped. Artemis was standing in the same place he had left her and Zacharias pushed him through the opening making him stumble and land on all fours in front of her. “As you ordered, Prince. Mind defrosting my chair? Cyril is hurt.” Without having her gaze leave him the frost around the dark Auror desk and chair melted and Cyril sat down with a painful grunt escaping him. “What did you do to him?” The voice sent shivers down his back and he could tell the other two could also feel it. “Alarte Ascendare was all I got to do before Zacharias interrupted us.” The witch in front of him smiled a cold smile. “Did he do anything in return?” Orion’s eyes met Cyril’s for a quick second before sighing deeply. “No.” Her smile grew wider as murder flash in her eyes. “Well then.” Suddenly, he found himself floating in the air with his face against the floor and before he could understand what was happening he was slammed against the ceiling. White dots were floating in front of his eyes as the floor came closer but before he could hit it he felt himself being pulled back up and slammed against the ceiling a second time. “Artemis! Stop it!” “Ey, let him go!” The magic that was holding him up disappeared but luckily for him, Zacharias was quick on his feet and caught him before he hit the ground. Orion was breathing hard and the white dots only became bigger by the second. “Ey, Orion can you hear me?” He nodded weakly at the face that was swimming in front of him and he was laid down on the ground. “Try to breathe deeply, mate.” He did as he was told and it stung to be lying back down but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. “Release me.” Artemis’s voice was like a knife through his heart. “Y… you… c… can… move”. Within a second she was leaning over him, her eyes were not as hard but they were still coloured gold and he could tell the room was getting warmer. She tapped his temple gently and her voice could be heard clearly in his head. _“I_ _kissed him back, idiot. I don’t know what I feel about him, if anything at all. But that doesn’t mean you can try and kill him and give me orders. Remember this next time you feel like going nuts.”_ Confusion and hurt went through him as he continued to take deep breaths. Artemis moved over to were Cyril was sitting and took a look at his injury. When he watched them he could not help but think they did look good together but the jealousy still roared to life like a newly lit flame and he felt like punching something for it. The dark Auror sat down next to him on the floor and flicked his wand over him a couple of times. “Nothin’ broken. But you are going to be bloody sore in the morning, mate. Should count yourself lucky. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that part of her. Forgot how ruthless she was.” Orion sat up carefully and winced when pain shot through his back and for good measure checked if he could feel his toes and breathed a sigh of relief when they moved no problem. The room had gotten back to its normal temperature now and the frost had retreated. The blond took another peek over to the other two and found to his surprise that the brunette’s eyes were still gold. Cyril didn’t seem to be bothered at all as he had an adoring look on his face, not even hiding his emotions anymore. He got distracted by Zacharias getting up and reaching out his hand to him. “Come on, King. Let’s get you to the bedroom so you can lay down better.” Orion grabbed his hand and let himself be pulled up and together with the other wizard he walked to the bedroom, regrettably leaving the other two alone. 

Draco looked at the little group that was going together to the library being lead by Auror Zouch. After Auror Blackmoore had gone back to the Auror office Pansy had gone over to the Hufflepuff table and started to talk to Abbott and Bones which the blond had raised an eyebrow to. Somehow he missed when the girl had gotten closer to them and it made him happy to see Pansy open up to someone else even if they were Hufflepuffs. When it was obvious that Potter was coming along Lovegood showed up out of thin air as she usually did with Longbottom on her arm. The two Gryffindors had a quiet awkward chat before they both joined the little group. Surprisingly to him, Nott had also decided to come along. Draco hadn’t really talked much to him after they had started school again but now it seemed like the other Slytherin had gotten enough courage to approach him again. The blond had welcomed the company since Blaise decided to go back to the common room and study in peace there. Light small talk filled the air as they walked, it was pleasant but still a little strange when the blond found himself in a conversation with Longbottom about what were the best plants to put in the potion they were currently studying. They were pulled out of their conversation for a minute while Auror Zouch opened the door to the library. “I will be sitting and reading in the corner so if there is anything do not hesitate to ask me.” The dark blond haired man smiled at the little group before turning to go over to a little reading corner. “You can sit with us, Sir. We won’t mind. Right?” Abbott looked at everyone else in confirmation and the older wizard smiled at them in return when none protested. “Fine then, I will find my book and join you. How about a table in the back? The risk of staring goes down immensely that way.” The Auror winked at Draco before going further into the library and disappearing behind some shelves. Pansy started to drag him towards the little nook at the far back of the room. Luckily there were just enough chairs for all of them, including the Auror and they sat down quickly. The blond raised an eyebrow at Potter when he sat down next to him with a grin on his face. “It’s easier to sit next to you if you’re gonna help me, yeah?” Draco rolled his eyes at him while he took his book and parchment out of his bag. “Alright, who needs help with the potion essay?” Everyone raised their hands and looked at him like puppies wanting a snack. He sighed loudly. “Surely some of you have the brains to figure it out on your own?” Pansy who was sitting opposite from him kicked him in the shin making him glare in her direction. “Come on, Drakey. You are good at teaching potions, unlike our own Professor. We will listen to your every word. Right girls?” Abbott, Bones and Lovegood all nodded at him. “You are the best in the class, Draco. Except for maybe Hermione but she is occupied with calming down Ginny at the moment. It wasn’t very nice of you to say that to her Harry.” Everyone looked to The Saviour in question as he glared at the Ravenclaw. “Not the time, Luna.” The blond could see the mischievous spark that flashed over Pansy’s eyes and hoped that the Auror would soon join them at the table. “Having a lover’s spat, Potter? Who knew you could be mean to a Weasley.” “Shut it, Parkinson.” Everyone’s attention was suddenly brought to Nott who was sitting on one of the ends of the table and he was busy flipping the pages of his potion book. “Thought we were doing potions not discuss Potter’s love life.” He looked up from his book and caught Draco’s eyes. “What is the use for this potion anyway? Why would anyone want to become insane?” The table was quiet for a second before the blond pulled himself back to reality and focused on the task at hand. “It started as a failed replica of Felix Felicis. Someone tried to make it more powerful but used cheaper ingredients and as a result, they got Essence of Insanity instead.” His fellow students started to take notes as he started to talk and he noticed that Auror Zouch now sat down silently on the opposite end from Nott giving him a clear view of the door. Auror habit he reasoned. “But why would they use it then? Why not throw it away?” Bones asked him honestly albeit a little carefully, like she was scared to make him angry. If he remembered correctly both Bones and Abbott were half-bloods so potion could be a subject they struggled to understand depending on how they grew up. Clearing his throat he continued. “They found other uses for it in the medical field. When the potion is administered to someone that is already insane it kind of ‘unscrambles’ their brains. Making them think more clearly for a few minutes at a time. Even so, it is a highly dangerous potion to brew if you don’t know what you are doing. It can be deadly given the wrong dose.” Potter tapped him carefully on the shoulder and the raven head looked like he had a stroke of genius. “So it’s like anti-depressants then?” The others looked at him confused as he looked at them the same way before facepalming. “Right, none of you probably know what that is. It’s a medicine that is given to people that are depressed. With it, their brains are kind of forced to think happy thoughts I guess? So this kind of works the same way but more deadly.” Draco thought about it for a second at it seemed to make sense to him. “Seems correct, yes.” Everyone had been working quietly on their essays for a little while before a chuckle came out of the Auror and Draco turned to look at him. The wizard looked at him with an apologetic look. “I am sorry, Mr Malfoy. This book is simply too far-fetched.” The blond took a peek at its cover and frowned when he saw what it was called. “’ Dementors: Misunderstood or underestimated?’ Isn’t that by the same person who wrote ‘Polyjuice 101: A day in the shoes of my mother’?” The Auror laughed again. “Correct. Simply hogwash but a peculiar read if you find yourself bored. Horben Mosstap really was a wizard with a different mind.” Longbottom looked up from his essay and studied the older wizard and it was clear he had a question burning on his tongue. “What is it, Longbottom?” The wizard in question jumped slightly when Draco talked to him and he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. The man had killed Nagini but was unable to talk to him without looking like he wanted to run away. “Ah um, sorry, Malfoy but it wasn’t you I wanted to ask something. Can I ask you a question, Sir?” Auror Zouch held his finger up for a few seconds before he flipped the page and put the book down on his knee. “Of course, Mr Longbottom. I am no Potion Master, sadly, but I can try to answer to the best of my abilities.” Longbottom was shifting around in his chair looking uncomfortable for a second before finally getting the courage to speak up. “I’m sorry Sir, but why do you speak so weird?” Draco looked at the Gryffindor dumbfounded before looking over to the Auror. He had to agree with him that he did speak in a very peculiar way but it would never have crossed his mind to ask the wizard himself about it. 

Auror Zouch looked at Longbottom surprised before he chuckled. “I am 1/8 vampire but not to worry, I have no blood-sucking abilities. My speech pattern simply comes from that, hard do get rid of I am afraid. The way I speak is nothing compared to my Mother though, she speaks like she is still stuck in the 1800s.” Everyone was quiet for a long time, surprisingly even Potter was stunned to silence as the wizard in front of them sat there with a smile on his face. The reason for him now telling the wizard everything without him thinking much about it became clearer now, the Auror clearly had some vampire abilities to make people confess things to him Draco thought. Pansy suddenly gave out a squeal of glee. “Oh. my. Salazar! That is so cool! Can you do anything else?” The wizard’s sky blue eyes looked at them with a mischievous glint to them. “That is a secret, Miss Parkinson.” Draco put a finger in each ear expecting the squeal to become even louder and of course, he was right. A strict hush came from Madam Pince over at the front desk and they looked over at her with guilty looks. Pansy leaned over the table to get closer to the Auror now. “Tell me, Sir is it true that Auror Blackmoore has had a relationship with all of you?” The blond wanted to kick his friend under the table for her stupid questions as they had nothing to do with any of what they had previously talked about. The glint in the older wizard’s eye became even brighter now as he leaned forward and automatically the rest of the table leaned in as well. “There have been a few drunken instances between us and I am certain that you saw my two colleagues under the tree by the lake, no? But you did not hear that from me, hm?” Pansy was about to burst from excitement, that much was clear as the wizard leaned back into his chair again. “You should get back to your studying, hm? You don’t have long left before you have to go back to your common rooms.” Draco was too stunned by what he heard from the older wizard to think clearly. All he saw was Auror Blackmoore in bed with Auror Zouch and he wondered if he had yet another competitor to worry about. But from the way he spoke, it seemed like it was all in the past and didn’t mean much. Potter on his right poked him on the shoulder again as he pointed to his parchment and at the bottom, the raven head had written ‘Don’t worry, I doubt there is anything between them.’ The blond shrugged in return before he asked. “Anyone else need help?” Luna raised her hand diligently when he asked and he pointed to her. “What kinds of hair potions do you use, Draco? I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time. My father’s hair turns itself into knots when he works in the garden you see and I thought I would ask you about it.” The Slytherin looked to the Ravenclaw where she sat and looked at him like she had asked him what day it was, next to him Potter was sniggering and failing badly at keeping it unknown. “I meant about the homework, Luna. I’ll give you the directions on how to brew one for your father later if you wish.” The girls face lit up in happiness as she nodded. “Oh, I have no further questions about it. Thank you.” Potter could not hold it in anymore as he bursts out laughing, tears were even running down his cheeks as Madam Pince came marching over to them. “Mr Zouch if you could take these students out of my library that would not be unwelcome. This is a place of silence!” The others seemed to have been smitten by the raven head’s laugh as giggling could be heard around the table. Auror Zouch was obviously keeping his grin in check as he looked up at the woman with a sorry look. “I am so sorry, Madam. I will take the students back to their common room. Come now everyone, pack your bags.” The little group quickly did as they were told and soon enough they found themselves on the other side of the closed library door. The raven head leaned on Draco as he clutched his stomach while laughing and the blond soon found himself laughing with him. The blond wiped a tear from his eyes as Abbott and Bones stood before him, both looking up at him with grateful expressions. “Thank you for your help today, Malfoy. Let’s have a study group again one day, maybe?” Abbott smiled at him while Bones nodded. He smiled at them politely and nodded back. “You’re welcome and that would be great.” The girls giggled at him before waving to the others and going in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room. “Popular with the ladies as always heh, Malfoy?” Nott patted him on the shoulder while he grinned widely at him. The blond snorted at him in return. Auror Zouch cleared his throat at them all. “Alright, I will have to follow the Slytherins back to their common room as of my job, the rest of you can get back alright I assume?” The rest of them nodded eagerly at him and with some last waves of goodbye they started to walk too in the directions of their own common rooms. 


	17. Story Time

It had been the Hufflepuffs’ idea to use the Room of Requirement for a little unwinding time and Harry had answered eagerly to the owl he had gotten to his room after they had gotten back from their little study session in the library. The room had been made by Ernie Macmillan and he had managed to make the room into a mix of all the house colours. It had multiple groups of plushy sofas, chairs and small tables scattered around. Harry was feeling the firewhiskey take effect now as he watched his classmates talking to each other in louder and louder volume for each passing minute. He giggled at Nott who was standing on one of the sofas and telling everyone that he was the tallest person in the room and everyone should therefore listen to his every order. The raven head laughed for real when Terry pulled him down and took his place on top of the sofa saying that he was the tallest now. Surprisingly, most of the other eight years had joined the raven head noted. The only once missing were Hermione, Parvati and Padma who were too busy consoling Ginny. After the little fight, they had at breakfast the wizard had been a little saddened by his closest friends taking the red head’s side. Ron had come around and seen his side of the story eventually and Neville had apologised to him before going to the study session they had in the library. It still made him laugh when he thought back to that session. The faces everyone made when the Auror told them he was a part vampire was too hilarious to him. “Potter, what in the world could be so funny?” Harry dried a tear from the corner of his eye as he watched Malfoy sit next to him. His cheeks were rosy from the firewhiskey he had been drinking and he looked more relaxed than usual. It being late at night none of them had informed the Aurors where they were so the blond could face some consequences for being here without supervision. But on the other hand almost the entire eighth year, including Harry himself, were present so the chances of something happening to any of them were small. “Just remembered when Auror Zouch told us about him being a vampire. The faces of everyone were too hilarious.” Malfoy grinned at him. “It actually makes sense that he is one. That bastard can make you tell him anything without even trying.” Harry raised his eyebrows at the blond. “Really? Did he make you tell him about your crush on-” Before he managed to finish that sentence the blond quickly covered his mouth with his hand. “Not so loud, idiot!” “Malfoy has a crush on someone?! Who it is?” The two wizards both looked to Justin that was standing right in front of them with a big grin on his face. Everyone in the room suddenly turned their heads and watched them. Malfoy quickly removed his hand from Harry’s mouth as he cleared his throat loudly. “That is none of your business Fletchley.” Parkinson came staggering towards them with a mischievous expression then and Harry just managed to move a little away from Malfoy before the witch settled down on the blond’s lap. “Drakey… have you gotten over me already? Did our romance mean that little to you?” Some of the people in the room started to laugh at the witch’s antics but the blond himself did not seem amused as he dumped her on the floor without saying anything. The girl gave him a harsh glare but before she got to say anything the door to the room opened and everyone in the room froze. 

“Lookie here, Ace! We found the missing lambs!” Zabini groaned loudly as his older brother and Auror Zouch appeared through the door and looked at everyone amused. “Are we in trouble?” Harry looked at Susan who had asked the Aurors with wide eyes. Both of them laughed as the older Zabini shook his head. “No no, you are all adults and we are not teachers so no worries but only if I can get a drink.” Seamus waved them over to the little makeshift bar they had made in the corner. It was just a table that had all the alcohol they had collected together but it did its job. Harry laughed as the older Zabini went over to the wizard and grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey. “Well, you guys did not skimp on the vintage. Impressive.” Auror Zouch walked to an empty chair opposite Harry and Malfoy, sat down and smiled at them both. “Impressive gathering you all put together I must say.” The raven head grinned at him proudly. “It was the Hufflepuffs’s idea actually. The Ravenclaws had most of the alcohol though.” The wizard laughed. “I am not surprised.” “I am surprised that there aren’t more naked people here! Remember some of the Slytherin parties we were part of Ace?” Auror Zabini sat down in the chair next to the blond Auror while he took a sip of his glass. The Auror in question rolled his eyes but he did smirk. “They were atrocious, Queen.” Malfoy snorted next to him while Parkinson who was still on the floor giggled. “Oh, I’ve seen worse!” A loud groan came from Zabini as he sat down next to Harry. The raven head looked at him surprised as he now found himself seated between the two Slytherins he once called his greatest enemies but quickly found out that he didn’t really mind. “Why do you always say that?! What is the worst then?” The Auror smirked behind his glass as he took a sip. “You really want to know that my dear little brother?” Parkinson raised her hand excitedly. “I wanna hear it! Tell us, Sir!” Harry raised his hand in the same manner. “I want to hear it too!” The Auror laughed at them both and nodded. “Alright, gather around everyone! Story time!” Everyone in the room looked at the little group confused before everyone started to sit down in front of the Auror’s. Chairs and sofas were moved so everyone got as close as possible to them and while the girls squeezed themselves together on the floor in front of the sofa Harry sat on the boys spread out around them. Soon everyone was seated as comfortably as the room would allow as Seamus started to send some bottles around the room. When everyone had a drink in hand Auror Zabini clapped his hands and cleared his throat. Auror Zouch took out his wand then and waved it around in an intricate pattern and the lighting in the room dimmed slowly almost to the point where the room was completely dark and then small balls of lights started to float around them casting long shadows around the room. Harry watched fascinated as one of them floated past his face, he tried touching it but his hands went through it like it was some kind of ghost. “’ Spirit lights’, very difficult spell.” Malfoy whispered to him from his right and he nodded at him in understanding. The older Zabini clapped his hands eagerly. “Perfect, Ace! This really sets the mood right. Now everyone ready? I warn you this is not a story for the faint of heart!” He looked around the room and seemingly met everyone’s eyes and got a nod from each one before he cleared his throat and began the story. “It was the first real big boy case that I was apart of. A lot of kids had been disappearing around a village on the outskirts of London. Well, I say outskirts but it was far into Merlin knows where, anyway, we were a group of four: my boss, Fritz Fry and two juniors Anna Shots, Phillip Swank and myself. The weather was horrible, it was raining and thundering like you would not believe! It seriously took thirty seconds for us to get totally soaked, umbrella charms be damned. We had been informed that a suspicious cabin had shown up in a forest nearby the village and people were hearing horrifying noises from that direction in the middle of the night, so off we went to investigate.” Harry felt that he was seated closer to the edge of his seat in excitement. Everyone else in the room had gone quiet and all the attention was on the wizard talking. He took a drink before he continued. “Fry was the weirdest wizard I’ve ever known. You all need to know that he was one of the older Senior Aurors then, closer to fifty I think and he did not give a damn anymore. The wizard just walked straight into the forest without a care in the world wand in hand. We saw the cabin soon enough and it was clear something weird was going on. It looked like it was made out of gingerbread!” Some people laughed as Harry frowned, it sounded familiar to him somehow. “Weird right? Well, there was a ward around the whole thing and when Anna removed it a more or less normal cabin came to view. I never quite understood the point of having it disguised like a gingerbread house but anyway there was light in the windows and Fry ordered us to spread out and walk around the thing so we could flank whoever was inside. I can still hear the tune that was coming from the building in my head to this day. It was a slow melody in a deep tone almost like a waltz. I went with Fry to the left as the other two went to the right. The melody suddenly stopped and a loud scream could be heard from the other side of the cabin and we both ran in the direction of it. Anna and Phillip were both gone and the wall was sprayed with blood. It was like someone had used a paintbrush on the wall.” The girls made gagging noises at the front and Auror Zouch looked to his partner with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t have to be so detailed.” The wizard only laughed before he continued. “They wanted to hear it though! Anyway, Fry noticed that a blood trail was leading to the door of the cabin which means that whatever did this had to have been sneaking behind us and dragged both of them inside. As we rounded the corner, however, Fry shielded me behind him as we saw Anna standing in the doorway but there was something off about her. That’s when I noticed the melody again, it was going slightly faster now but the tone was still the same. My mentor approached her slowly as I guarded our backs, hold on to your dinners guys, when he touched her she collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Do any of you know the risk of doing the healing charm Brackium Emendo wrong?” Harry gagged himself now as he got reminded of the time when Lockheart had made his hand into weird jelly when he had tried to heal it after the quidditch match. Malfoy next to him shivered as he downed the drink he had in his hand. “I am not drunk enough for this!” Bulstrode commented before she reached for a bottle and started to fill her glass again. “Seamus pass another bottle!” Neville shouted across the room from where he was sitting with Luna to the other Gryffindor who quickly went to get more bottles and passed them around. Auror Zabini laughed again at them all and the other Auror just looked slightly amused. He didn’t seem affected at all by what was said and had probably heard it multiple times at this point. 

When everyone had calmed down the Auror continued. “Lucky for her Anna was not alive when she hit the ground so we moved her slightly out of the way and covered her body with Fry’s robes then went inside. I should mention that I found out later that she had been hit by whatever spell that made her bones like that first but then with a killing curse soon after so the poor girl didn’t suffer much. The cabin was pretty normal, for a spooky cabin out in Fucksville that is, it had a fireplace, bed and a little kitchen nook and it was clear someone was living there as the kitchen sink had dirty dishes and the fireplace was filled with old ash. However, there were no signs of Phillip anywhere and Fry gave me orders to look around the place but I found nothing out of the ordinary for several minutes before I happened to look under the bed. A trap door down to a cellar could be seen underneath and one simple Leviosa later we got the bed moved and hatch open. The song was unbelievably loud now and the waltz had almost sped up to the step of a tango. It was drilling into my head making him feel dizzy and nauseous. I wish it had distracted me more so that I didn’t notice the smell coming from the cellar though. Merlin, I swear you have never smelled something that bad. Imagine the smell of a dozen rotten eggs mixed with rotten fish and you might get close.” Some let out noises of disgust and glasses being filled could be heard. Harry emptied his own glass and grinned at Malfoy as the blond filled it again for him before he passed the bottle to Parkinson on the floor. “Fry signalled me to be careful as we still hadn’t seen Phillip and at this point, I wondered if the man had led the same fate that Anna had. Oh boy if he had ever been that lucky but I’m getting ahead of myself. The old man was the first to climb down and he shouted up to me that the coast was clear before I followed. The sight down there is something I will never forget. Someone had spelled the cellar twice the size of what you would expect it to be and in the far back corner were several rows of cages, just big enough to contain a child each. The floor around them was clearly filled with all kinds of bodily fluids and the smell was even worse up close.” Harry could not tell which of the girls had let out a loud gasp of horror but he swallowed thickly as the wizard continued. “Sadly, most of the kids we found had already passed away. But two kids were still alive, of course, they were scared beyond their own sanity and cowered away from us and told us to stay away from them. One of them kept saying they didn’t want to be eaten like the others. That’s when I noticed over in the other corner. Piles upon piles of bones, both adult and child, I later found out. But the sight was horrifying, something was eating the villages and didn’t have mercy either as the bones themselves were broken and were filled with tooth marks. Fry had noticed a red door that seemed to lead in the direction of the village and said that we were going to check that out before taking care of the kids. If something was in here with us it was no guarantee that we would be able to protect them. Carefully, he got the door open and a long dark hallway was on the other side. I followed like the obedient rookie I was inside even though I have to admit I wanted to just take the kids and run. As we walked the hallway the song was getting unbearable and I asked my boss if he could hear it too but he said he didn’t hear anything.” Auror Zouch patted his partner on the shoulder when he said that and the man gave him a grin in return. Harry wondered for a second why the wizard could hear a song like that but not the old man but the older Zabini quickly continued the story. “As we walked we suddenly started to notice this shimmering mist that was creeping along the floor. Fry did some counterspell on it to disperse it and the floor revealed itself. It was covered in dried blood along with the walls. Like multiple people had been dragged through this way over a long period of time. I froze as I heard a loud chewing noise along with the occasional growling as I was about to ask Fry if he heard the same the man froze himself and shielded me again. Which I have to mention was futile as I was taller than the man so I could easily see over his shoulder. The hallway had opened up to a smaller room than the one with the kids and in the middle of it was a huge werewolf that was chewing on Phillip who was clearly dead by the time. Hopefully, the bastard didn’t suffer much. The old man was trying to back up the way he came but it was too late as the monster of a wolf noticed us before we could get away. It immediately dropped its meal and dashed towards us with lighting speed. We both managed to jump to the side and as I rolled around on the ground a little disoriented the wolf went towards Fry. I swear I fired every spell I knew at the beast but it didn’t even acknowledge me like it knew I was the one that didn’t matter. The song in my head was so loud at this moment that I almost didn’t hear the screams of my boss as he was ripped apart by the wolf only meters away from me.” Auror Zouch slapped him across the back of his head then. Making everyone in the room jump slightly. “Must you recount so vividly, Queen? I gave you a warning already.” The dark wizard looked around the room with a slightly apologetic look and Harry thought he looked like a kicked puppy for a second. The older wizard got his glass filled and he downed the whole thing before he cleared his throat again. The atmosphere in the room was tense and everyone was giving their full attention to the wizard now. Even the little balls that were floating around seemed to sit quietly in place. “So the wolf charged me next and as it pounced in a last attempt I fired off the strongest Bombarda I’ve ever done right in its face. I watched as the monster dropped to the ground and wiggled around in pain. But it was obviously not dead as it glared at me with the intent of killing as I noticed its jaw now seemed slightly in the wrong place, however, as it was prepared to strike again it was like it changed its mind and ran out the door. My feet were moving on their own as I scrambled off the floor and ran after it as fast as I could manage in hope that it would not go for the kids. As I ran into that room the kids were still in the cages untouched and one of them pointed to the hatch in the ceiling which I had come down earlier with Fry. Quickly I climbed up, which was stupid, never rush into that sort of thing, and found the cabin empty. I ran outside then and found Anna’s body just as we had left her earlier. There was no sign of the wolf anywhere, the song had also stopped and I could only hear my own breathing and the rain that was still pouring down.” He took a deep breath then and the other Auror handed him another drink which he took gratefully. “What happened next?” Anthony asked from somewhere behind Harry as his view was obscured by some bottles on the table directly behind him. “Well, I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I puked.” He laughed. “Then I manned myself up and called for back up. I quickly sent a Patronus down to the villages so that they could get a message to the Ministry in London so they could send help. I then went back inside to get the kids out and retrieve the bodies of my colleagues. Worst day ever.”

Zabini next to him suddenly jumped out of his seat which made Harry almost fall of the sofa. “Wait! When was this?!” The Auror looked at him puzzled. “92’. Why?” The face of the younger Zabini got stripped of all colour as he sat down heavily again. “That was the night you came home really late right? I remember because I swear the elves were talking about washing away blood off the floor during the night.” Auror Zabini looked thoughtful for a while before he nodded. “Sounds about correct, yes. Glad I had you to come home to, heh?” He smirked but it soon fell off his mouth as Zabini shouted at him. “You could have died that night! It was my birthday the next morning and you could have been werewolf food, why did you even go on that mission!? Fucking moron!” Later, Harry would blame it on the firewhiskey in his system but he soothingly patted Zabini’s back and the boy first looked at him surprised but seemed to accept it nonetheless. “So you do love me! I knew it.” Zabini groaned loudly in his hands as Harry heard him mumble curses over and over to himself. “What happened to the werewolf, Sir?” Luna asked then. Auror Zabini grinned widely at them all. “We never caught him, so I bet he is still wandering around, lying in wait, revenge on his mind.” Everyone shuddered at the thought of having a crazed werewolf running around the place. “How did you manage to get back to the field after that?” Malfoy asked from next to him which Harry thought was a good question. If he had not spent half his life running from a mad man he would probably never even have thought about becoming an Auror. The older wizard laughed then. “I met something even scarier than a werewolf.” Suddenly, the door to the room opened and everyone jumped, some even took out their wands and pointed in that direction. Harry then noticed that it was Auror Blackmoore that came through the door. She looked at them all slightly puzzled before she walked towards them. The older Zabini started to laugh then. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” The witch raised her eyebrow at her colleague as a laugh escaped Auror Zouch. “So this is where you are all hiding, why are you all so jumpy?” “Auror Zabini told us the story of his worst case! It was super disgusting! Pretty brilliant though.” Ron had spoken up for the first time that night Harry noted and he looked around if he could see his friend among the people and soon found him seated in the back. Their eyes met for a quick second but the other wizard soon looked away making Harry frown. “The one with the werewolf who kidnapped kids?” The brunette looked to her colleagues as Auror Zouch patted the right armrest of his chair in a sign for her to sit on, which she did. “Yes, that one. Remember it, Prince?” She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course, hard to forget. I was the bait to catch his partner remember?” Everyone started to question that immediately but the witch only laughed at them. “Oh no, I’m not telling that now. That might be an even more disturbing story. Maybe another time, hm?” Harry heard Seamus boo from his spot on one of the other sofas and the witch laughed at him. She looked incredibly tired. Not that that was weird seeing she had just woken up from a coma, but there was something different about her that Harry could not quite put his finger on. He peeked at Malfoy in the corner of his eye and the wizard was looking at the witch intently like she was the only one in the room. “What’s with the weird nicknames you have with each other then?” Nott asked from one of the chairs on the left. Harry had been wondering that himself, even though Hermione had told them something about it earlier in the year he was still curious to hear the whole story. “Oh, that’s a good one! May I?” The older Zabini looked to his colleagues with an excited expression and both of them gave him signs to go ahead. “Alright, it was back when we were third years. There were some weird rumours circulation around that quidditch students were getting sick in a mysterious manner. Thompson was on the team back then for Slytherin and he told us that it was super weird, ‘cause not a single player from our team had gotten sick.” “Bloody cheaters all of ya!” Seamus shouted which got a laugh from some of the others. The Aurors sniggered. “So, we got our eyes open for anything suspicious ‘cause we didn’t want our friend to get sick and after a few days of snooping around we figured out that there were some Slytherins from sixth year that we're the ones responsible. They were mixing some weird potions together that instead of giving the players a boost during games made them super sick so the teams had to replace their best players with the rookies.” Harry watched as Auror Blackmoore took a glass that floated towards her and she whispered something in Auror Zouch’s ear. The man smiled amused at her and he took a sip of his own glass. The raved head was reminded what the Auror had told them that they’ve had a few drunken nights together and wondered if it was a long time ago or not. Shaking his head he focused back on the story the older Zabini was telling. “Silver, being the proud Slytherin he is decided that it was spoiling the outlook on our House even more and put his foot down. So he got us together and we managed to bust them while they were dealing with some Hufflepuff students. It turned into a huge fight but in the end, we came out on top and of course, we went to Snape with the evidence afterwards.” Auror Blackmoore rolled her eyes at him. “The world was saved by the Slytherins, who would have thought.” “So he was called ‘King’ because he stood up to his peers then?” Hannah pointed out to the Aurors. The dark wizard nodded at her. “Bingo, Silver was the only one that took action about it. Us being his friends soon got matching nicknames that somehow just got stuck.” Harry tilted his head to one side when he remembered that Auror Blackmoore was not a Slytherin. “Excuse me, Auror Blackmoore but you’re a Gryffindor, right?” She looked at him and nodded. “Correct, I got to know them in our seventh year. It was Queen here that gave me my nickname. Simply put, he is a Queen and I am no Princess so therefore Prince fitted the naming scheme.” Harry giggled at the answer. “How did a group of Slytherin get to know one Gryffindor in seventh year of all things?” Parkinson hadn’t talked in quite a while and Harry jumped when he heard her voice as it was slightly slurred. The three older wizards grew quiet and all of them took a drink each before Auror Zouch answered. “We helped her out of a problem she had with a potion project. There was a teacher that made a mistake with Snape’s teaching plan so we had potions with the Gryffindors in seventh year.” The man showed everyone a polite smile but something sinister lurked underneath it and the small balls of light in the room dimmed slightly as a warning not to ask anymore about it. The witch next to him patted him on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

The room filled with pleasant small talk after that and Harry leaned back into the sofa with a sigh. Zabini had left his spot next to him to go over to his brother probably to ask him more about the night before his birthday so it was only him and Malfoy left seated on the sofa. Malfoy was nursing his glass carefully as his eyes hadn’t left the older witch since she had arrived. It was clear the blond was thinking about something as Harry could almost hear the cogs in his brain move. “Gotta give yourself a headache soon Malfoy.” The blond blinked rapidly at him like he had woken up from a trance. “Pardon?” The raven head snickered. “I can practically hear you think. What is going on in that head of yours?” Malfoy snorted at him and put his glass down on the floor. “Nothing.” Harry raised his eyebrow at him. “Really? Nothing? I don’t believe that Malfoy.” The blond rolled his eyes before his eyes started to twinkle dangerously. “So what did you have a fight about with She-Weasley about this morning then?” The raven head frowned at the other wizard. “Nothing really.” It was the blond’s turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow now. “Really? Nothing? I don’t believe you, Potter.” Harry glared at him for mimicking his own words back at him and was about to resort to some colourful words when Auror Zouch clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to be the bringer of bad news but it is quite late and you all should go to bed for some much-needed rest. So if the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors would kindly follow me.” The wizard got out of his chair, downed the rest of his drink and carefully placed the glass on a table on his way out. The students in question quickly scrambled their way out of their seats the more sober ones helping the others and said their goodbyes to everyone. Harry gave Malfoy a last frown but when the blond responded with a smirk a smile grew over his face instead. Ron caught up to him and looked at him with a curious look as Harry waved goodbye to the Slytherins. “What’s with you and the Slytherins these days, mate?” Harry just gave his friend a shrug and the redhead shook his head in return mumbling something the raven head didn’t quite hear as they quickly followed after everyone else.

Artemis was watching the Forbidden Forest from the windowsill on the fifth floor as she had done many times as a student. It brought back memories of a different time, not necessarily a better one but at least it was simpler to understand. She had been too angry to sleep even though she had tried after Zacharias and Septimus had left to go on their rounds. The other two had been put to bed and their curtains were shut tight. The brunette could tell that Orion had fallen asleep eventually and hoped the auburn haired wizard had done the same. In the aftermath of what she had done to Orion, she had felt the guilt seep into her but she had shaken it off. He deserved it she reasoned but there was still a part of her that felt he deserved more. Artemis shivered in the cold and wished she had brought a blanket with her. Her uniform did protect her somewhat from the cold stone of the castle but nothing really beat a blanket in this case but she settled with casting a heating charm around her instead. Her attention was suddenly brought to a magical core that was coming towards her down the hall. Despite herself, she laughed as it got closer but there was no one there. It stopped right bellow the windowsill where she was seated and she looked down in the general direction she could feel it. “Mr Potter, why are you doing up at this hour?” Nothing happened as she smirked waiting patiently for the boy to show himself. When he didn’t she laughed again. “Again, Mr Potter, I know that you are there. Why are you using your cloak when you are an adult that can go wherever he pleases?” The raven head came to view with a confused look on his face as he pulled the cloak off his head and bundled it up in his arms. He looked down at the cloak before looking up at her. “Sorry but this cloak could evade death, how could you tell I was there?” The brunette smiled at him. “So can I and I could feel your magical core. It’s not hard by the size of your power, Mr Potter.” The boy looked even more confused now but he shook his head and smiled tiredly at her. “I couldn’t sleep so I tend to wander the castle. Using the cloak has become a habit I suppose.” Artemis understood what he meant, some habits were hard to get rid of, especially something that has made you feel safe for years. She started to look out towards the Forest again in the belief that the boy would put on his cloak and continue his wandering in the night but it seemed the boy had other plans. “What are you doing up, Miss?” The brunette looked down at him again and only found genuine curiosity in his eyes. “Same reason as you. I can’t sleep and habits die hard. I used to come here all the time when I was a student here.” He nodded in understanding before tilting his head to one side like a puppy. “How did you get up there anyway?” The witch was suddenly reminded of the first time she met Orion in this exact place. The blond had asked her the same question all those years ago and she could not help but snicker. “Magic, of course.” Potter frowned at her then rolled his eyes. “Obviously.” He then froze in place as they both heard Peeves down the hall and Artemis had to hold in another laugh. History sure had a habit of repeating itself. She looked down at him and gave him a wink. “Stand still Mr Potter. No need for the cloak.” He looked at her with another confused look but stood frozen as Peeves came into view. “Miss Demon! What a lovely night to see you here!” Peeves spun around in the air in front of her as he usually did. “Evening Peeves, found any students out of bed? The ghost grinned widely at her. “Oh yes, some naughty Gryffindors thought they could escape the smart Peeves! But I scared them back to bed.” Artemis took a peek at Potter who was still standing completely still underneath them. “Haven’t forgotten your job I hope?” Peeves spun around again before bowing deeply in the air. “He is sound asleep Little One. Not even a stir.” She nodded at him and waved at him to leave. “Good, don’t you have more places to haunt before the sun comes up?” The ghost nodded before grinning widely again. “That I do! Maybe I am lucky to find little Potter out of bed! Toodles!” He started to sing a song as he flew down the hall and disappeared around the next corner. Potter was still standing still underneath the window and Artemis grinned at him. “You can move Mr Potter.” 

The raven head looked confused as his mouth opened and closed several times before he looked up at her. “How did you do that? Peeves always know where I am, even under the cloak.” She grinned down at him before she Apparated down to the floor. The boy jumped and his jaw seemed to hit the floor as he looked at her. “Di… did you just Apparate?” The brunette nodded. “B… But Hermione told me that it was impossible to Apparate inside the school. Not even the Headmaster can do it.” Artemis laughed at him. “Honestly, Mr Potter if you put your mind to it you could probably do the same. It does require quite an amount of magic but it is not impossible, and Peeves seeing you? That is a secret. How about we walk while we talk? This castle is not exactly warm at this time of night.” She started to walk down the hall where Peeves had originally come from knowing the ghost would be far away from them at this point. The boy followed quickly and they walked in silence for a while before Potter broke it. “What kind of song did Auror Zabini hear when he was in that cabin he told us today? Do you know?” Artemis thought about it for a while before she remembered what the boy was talking about. “Ah, yes I know what it was. The wolf was not the only one present, at the time there was a wizard there that was a master at casting illusions. It was him that made the cabin look like a gingerbread house for instance and it was him that made Zabini hear the song in his head. The theory is that all of them were actually seeing different things and that there were two wards placed around the house but since the others that he came with died we can’t be sure. We are not completely sure why he kept hearing a song either.” Potter looked thoughtful for several steps before he looked at her again. “He must have been a wreck afterwards, I bet.” The brunette nodded. “He might tell the story today with no problem but he did have a hard time getting back into the field for a long time after that and only calmed down completely after we caught the wolf’s partner. But as he said we never caught the wolf itself, however, it has been years so I doubt it’s still alive. It is always though seeing your friends die, that never gets any easier as I’m sure you know.” The boy nodded and seemed lost in thought for several minutes as they walked. Artemis decided that the younger wizard could talk if he wanted to but it seemed he was not against her company as he was still following her. “I had a fight with Ginny this morning as you heard.” “I think the whole school heard that, Mr Potter.” He smiled sheepishly at her before nodding. “Yeah, that’s true.” He became silent again as they came to the moving staircases and Artemis decided to go up the stairs as she knew Peeves would still be on the lower floors. “She told me that I was hanging around Malfoy too much these days and was suspicious that he was doing something to me. Like, if he had charmed me or poisoned me with something.” The brunette looked at him a little dumbfounded. “Really now? She does realise the boy is not allowed to have a wand outside of classes?” Potter nodded at her eagerly. “I know! I told her that even but she would not listen to me! She only kept insisting that he was doing something wrong. Then suddenly the others around the table started saying the same thing like they knew it to be a fact. Malfoy hasn’t done anything wrong this entire year in fact he helped save your life, Miss! He almost got himself killed in his own room even! I just don’t get it.” Anger was radiating from the young wizard and the witch could not help but smile at him. However, a pulse of guilt went through her as she was reminded that it was her that had tried to kill the boy. She knew the story the two wizards had between them and had to applaud Potter for changing his way of thinking when he had evidence of Malfoy changing for the better. “So you snapped then?” He looked a little guilty as he nodded. “I was wrong to do so but…” “You were not wrong for doing so, Mr Potter. You were protecting a friend from others that don’t know the truth. Let them believe what they wish, the most important thing is that you know what is right, hm?” Potter stopped walking than when they got off at the landing to the sixth floor and he studied her. “You sound like you speak from experience.” Artemis nodded at him as she stopped a few meters ahead of him and studied him in return. It amazed her that this wizard had managed to save the entire world only a year ago. He seemed so naive and innocent to the world that it almost scared her. “A word of advice, Harry. Tell only one person your deepest secrets and keep the rest in the dark. Not everyone needs to know everything and sometimes keeping people in the dark is better for you in the end.” The witch smiled at him in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. “It might sound harsh but some friendships are not worth keeping longer than necessary. Especially if they can’t accept you changing in front of their eyes. You saved the world, Harry, your job’s done. Time to be what you want to be.” 

They stood in the hallway and looked at each other for a long time before the wizard walked the few meters over to her and looked down at her with tears in his eyes. The boy was not a lot taller than her but enough that she had to look up at him. The witch smiled at him as she brushed his messy fringes away from his eyes and saw the tears now was flowing freely down his cheeks. “I… ’m sorry but… can I hug you?” The brunette pulled him down into a hug and the wizard started to sob on her shoulder wrapping his hands tightly around her in the process. For his sake, she wrapped a privacy ward around them so the people in the frames would not get a free show at his expense. Several minutes went by as she waited patiently for him to calm down while drawing soothing circles on his back and saying encouraging words in his ear. Finally, he let her go and stood up straight while rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “I… I’m sorry, Miss.” Artemis smiled at him and picked up the invisibility cloak off the ground that he had dropped earlier. “Don’t worry about it. Sorrow tends to hit you in the guts when you least expect it. I’ll follow you back to the Gryffindor tower if you like?” Potter laughed at her as he took the cloak off her hands and nodded. “I’d like that.” They turned around and walked back to the landing and took the stairs up to the seventh floor. This time they walked in comfortable silence and Artemis could see the light coming through the windows and sighed. Another sleepless night. “I see why Malfoy has changed so much now, Miss.” The brunette looked at him puzzled. “Changed?” “Mhm, before you arrived he didn’t talk to anyone, always kept to himself and went straight back to his room after classes and meals. Hardly ate anything either. Frankly, he looked like a walking corpse but after you came to school that all changed. He’s even smiling now. But I guess if you gave him a speech like that too then I get it.” The boy laughed then and grinned at her. They were outside the picture of the Fat Lady now and she looked at them curiously. “Thanks for the harsh truth, Auror Blackmoore. I’ll remember it.” Artemis smiled back at the boy as he turned to walk into the common room that she had once called her own and as she walked back the way they came she swore she felt a needle prick her branding mark again.


	18. Anger

A warm feeling spread out on Orion’s naked back as he buried his face down in his pillows. Someone had pulled his curtains apart and sunlight was streaming through the windows making him hide from the rays. The warm feeling grew hotter as the numbness and pain from yesterday faded slowly over time. He took a peek through half-lidded eyes at who was doing the healing and was slightly surprised at finding Artemis leaning over him with her hands on his back. “I’m not going to apologise.” The blond grunted in response before closing his eyes again. A few minutes passed between them in silence and he was close to falling back asleep before he felt the witch sit down on his bed. “Orion?”. Only a slight numbness was left now as he opened his eyes and carefully turned around to lay on his back facing the brunette. She looked like she hadn’t slept all night and had probably wandered the castle if he were to guess. He nodded in response for her to start talking as he leaned back against his pillows. “We need to talk about it.” The blond raised his eyebrow in question but she only rolled her eyes at him. “The kiss between me and Cyril. You trying to kill him because of it. Is it the bond doing it or is it you?” Orion looked at her for a long time without saying anything. His mind was racing. He had just confirmed for himself that it was him that wanted her for himself. But then again the bond was the thing that helped fuel his jealousy, so where he started and the bond ended was hard to say. Cyril had been his friend since his first year at Hogwarts and in all the years they had known each other a woman had never come between their friendship. He trusted the man, deep down he knew this but that didn’t mean that it had hurt when he had done this behind his back. In the end, he took a deep breath before he answered. “Both. It’s a mix of both.” Artemis held his gaze for a minute before she nodded. She had found the answer to be the truth which he hoped she would do. The brunette looked away from him to gaze out of the windows. “As I already told you, I don’t know if I feel anything in particular towards him but… I did return the kiss so in that regard I am just as guilty as him. So just talk to him, please.” The witch didn’t have to look at him for Orion to know that she felt a deep sorrow about this whole thing. Guilt was also swimming close to the surface but as she said she was not willing to apologise for it. Which he understood. “Fine. I’ll talk to him.” Artemis waved her hand in what looked like a normal motion but the blond suddenly noticed the curtains on Cyril’s bed opened and the man came to view. He looked just as tired as Orion felt but as he was sitting with his legs crossed and reading what looked like a report of some kind the blond guessed that Artemis had healed him before she had woken him up. The auburn haired wizard looked up from his paper and looked at them both curiously. “We are doing this right now?” He asked the witch who nodded as she got up from Orion’s bed. “I am going to take a shower so you have until then to make friends again.” Both of the wizards watched her rummaging around her trunk and pull out a new uniform before retreating to the bathroom. Surprisingly, she gave them both a soft smile before disappearing inside. 

Orion put his arm over his face as he sighed deeply. Worry and nervousness were rolling around inside him telling him clearly that the brunette had not really been willing to leave the two of them alone but here they were nonetheless. After a few minutes of laying in silence, they could hear the shower starting from inside the witch’s bathroom and the blond got startled by Cyril talking. “I love her.” He should not have been surprised because deep down he knew the truth but this was the first time that Cyril had said it out loud. Orion watched the other wizard closely as he was still sitting cross-legged on his bed but he had put down the paper somewhere and was watching him in return. His face was serious and his eyes were filled with resolve. The blond sat up and placed his feet down on the floor making him fully face the other wizard. While raking his hands through his hair he took a deep breath before starting to talk. “When did you know?” Cyril smiled. “I can’t tell you exactly when but I came to realise that it was not just simple lust after the case in 94. I bet you remember it?” Orion nodded. The wizard had been sent to infiltrate a group of full-bloods that were suspected of doing illegal smuggling of dark artefacts. No one had heard from him for over a month before he suddenly appeared outside of Orion’s apartment, bloody and beaten. Had it not been for the tattoo that Artemis had insisted on him getting they would not have recognised him under all the Glamour and Polyjuice. Even to this day, the blond did not know what had happened as it was classified beyond his reach. “Artemis and I got you to the hospital and she was the one present when you woke up.” Cyril hummed in agreement. “I will never forget the way she looked at me. I never knew that so much worry and relief could exist in one pair of eyes. It was at that point I realised that I didn’t just find this woman attractive, I was in bloody love with her.” The jealousy had started to fill inside him and the blond had to take a few deep breaths before continuing. “You know what the bond does to me but you still kept on touching, kissing and flirting with her as if I’ve never existed.” The two wizards looked at each other intensely for a few moments. “I am going to be honest with you, King. Up until that point where I realised my feelings I only did it to tease, I honestly thought you two deserved each other but in the later years, you’ve been a mess. How many lovers have you had in the last few years?” The blond rolled his eyes. “None. We made a deal not to have lovers. It confuses the bond.” Cyril gave him a hard look before replying. “I’ll change the question. How many one-night-stands have you had?” Orion bit his lip. They might have agreed on the ‘no lovers’ policy but that did not mean that he had not slept around, no matter how much he came to regret it later. “I did not sleep with Burns if that is what you want an answer to.” It was easy to see the anger flash over the ocean blue eyes in front of him but the other wizard managed to calm himself down. “So what were you doing?” Orion sighed for what seemed like the hundred time since he woke up and told the wizard what had happened in the office that day. His friend's eyes were wide as plates when he finished and guilt was evident in his eyes. “She’s not getting away with it, I hope?” The blond laughed. “No, but I need to figure out what she did to me. It’s a work in progress and I haven’t had the time to really sit down and do the research as Artemis ended up in a coma.” Before the other man managed to reply a loud bang could be heard from Artemis’s bathroom. Both of them froze as they listened for more sounds or a shout of distress. “Are you alright, Artemis?” Cyril shouted at the door. “I just dropped something!” Artemis shouted from the other side and both of the men looked at each other with frowns on their faces. Orion sent worry through the bond but only got reassurance back and he shook his head to the other wizard. “I’m sorry, King, but I’m not going to stop going after her. Not now.” It made sense, even Orion had to admit that. Of course, the wizard was not going to back down now that he had gotten a taste of the prize. He bit his lip and rakes his hands through his hair again before nodding in understanding. “I’m sorry for attacking you. I just lost control over myself.” Cyril started laughing which took the blond by surprise. “I can’t really blame you. I’ve always wanted to do the same to you but Artemis took care of that so let’s say it’s even, hm?” The wizard stretched out his hand for Orion to shake which he did with a smile on his face. “Agreed.”

Artemis got out of the bathroom then with a surprised look on her face. She was dressed in a fresh pair of black pants and a white shirt. What made Orion look at her fondly was her hair which was still damp and loose. When she moved it flowed down her back like a waterfall. The brunette flung her uniform robes on her own bed before looking at Cyril with a slight blush on her face. “Can you braid my hair?” Cyril looked back at her puzzled. “Aren’t you a witch?” A faint prickle of disappointment went through him but the other wizard only snickered and gestured for her to sit in front of him on the bed. Orion watched closely as the other wizard combed her hair with his fingers and started the job of getting her hair under control. It had been years since he had seen this scene last. Back in their school days during warm weather, they would all hang out by the lake and Cyril would play with her hair and braid different types of braids each time. It was a peaceful image and he had to smile despite himself. Orion got up from his bed and wandered to his trunk to get out a clean shirt and a pair of pants, however, a pulse of lust went through him as he pulled the shirt over his shoulders. Puzzled, he turned around and met the eyes of Artemis who was studying him intensely. A smirk spread over his face as he went towards his friend’s bed and sat down in front of the witch. Cyril looked at him over the witch’s shoulder with a raised eyebrow but continued the braiding. The brunette thought she had been clever by closing her eyes when he had sat down but Orion just cupped her face in his hands in his usual way. “Open your eyes.” A shiver went through the witch but she did as she was told. Glittering gold was mixed with the chocolate brown and he had to smirk again. He sent Cyril a mischievous look before he leaned down and kissed her. Almost immediately he could feel the witch respond to him as she kissed him in return. The blond opened one eye to take a peek at the wizard behind her. His eyes were flashing with anger but it quickly turned to mischief as the auburn haired wizard leaned to whisper in her ear as he at the same time nibbled on her earlobe. “I’m finished.” A moan escaped the witch between them and Orion shivered. He didn’t know what had come over him to start this or where it was going but somehow when Cyril now touched her he did not feel the same jealousy as before. Could it be because he was also touching her at the same time? Cyril had started to kiss her neck and was stroking down her arms which made the brunette moan again. Orion broke the kiss to look at her eyes again. They were swimming with lust and the golden specks had grown bigger. She leaned into the other wizard’s touch and gave him better access to her neck in the progress. The blond felt his heartbeat against his chest while he watched his friend touch the woman he had been bonded to for so many years. The other wizard kept his touches careful. Obviously, staying away from the more personal places on her body, however, he did sneak one hand around her waist and pulled her closer making her lean her head on his left shoulder. Having just braided her hair meant that her neck was now completely open to him and Cyril did not waste any time. Orion’s eyes widen slightly as the other wizard locked eyes with him while biting down on the witches neck. Artemis let out another moan and at this point, it looked like she was just going with the flow. The emotions that Orion got was a mix of lust and something else he could not place but in the arms of Cyril, she seemed to melt like butter. It was obvious that the witch trusted him. The blond crawled the short distance that was between him and the pair. While standing up on his knees in front of them he could easily lean down to kiss her again. Their breathing was getting heavier and the room seemed to grow hotter by the second but as Orion was about to give in to the waves of lust that washed over him the door to the bedroom opened with a loud bang and a swearing Zacharias entered. The little group jumped apart quickly but it was obvious the dark wizard had seen something. “Oi oi! Did I just interrupt something?” Orion quickly climbed off Cyril’s bed and started to button his shirt quickly. “We were just talking.” Zacharias squinted at them before he broke out into a sly smile. “Right, ‘cus it looks like Prince was really having fun ‘talking’. Can’t believe you are doing this without me!” “Fuck off, Zabini.” Cyril also got up from the bed as Artemis who seemed a little weak in the knees did the same. Zacharias held his hands up in defence but his smile did not leave his face. He studied Artemis as she determined went over to her bed next to him and picked up her uniform robe. “Oh, Merlin. Are you blushing, Prince? I haven’t seen that since that time we did it.” Orion stopped what he was doing and looked at the dark wizard as he realised what he had said. Before anyone could do anything the man sprinted over to the bathroom and locked the door. “Get out here Zabini! What the bloody hell did you just mean by that?” Orion kicked the door to prove his point as laughter could be heard from the inside. “Not telling! I’m too handsome to die and Blaise would miss me too much!” “You really have a death wish don’t you, Queen?” Cyril took out his wand and Orion moved out of the way but no matter what spell he tried the door remained firmly closed. The blond then turned around to look for Artemis but the witch was nowhere to be seen, obviously managing to escape in the commotion. More laughter could be heard from inside the bathroom then. “By the way! McGonagall wanna see you both, right now in fact! It’s why I’m here. So you better hurry.” The two wizards looked at each other before sighing in defeat. After a last kick to the door, Orion and Cyril got into their uniforms and made themselves presentable. 

“Do you think we will get detention?” Orion snorted at Cyril’s question. They were now on their way up to the Headmistress office as Zacharias had told them and had just got up to the seventh-floor landing. It always bothered the blond that the leader of the school had the office on the top floor as it made it a long way for the Slytherins to get there if anything happened. This was probably why the Professors’ offices were spread out to the extent they were he reasoned. “Auror Silver!” Orion turned around in time to see Ron Weasley come running behind him, followed by Hermione Granger. Surprisingly, Potter was not with them this time and he wondered if he was off somewhere with Malfoy instead. “Mr Weasley? What can I do for you?” The redhead stopped in front of them and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Sir, But I wanted to say thank you.” Orion raised his eyebrow at him. “I don’t remember helping you, Mr Weasley.” The boy grinned sheepishly at him. “Oh not me, Sir. My older brother, George? You gave my other older brother, Charlie, the contact information to the Aurors’ healer, right?” It took a few seconds for the blond to catch up with what the younger wizard was saying but he suddenly remembered the sight of the red head’s brother. “Ah, yes. Has he had his first appointment already?” The young Weasley nodded enthusiastically at him. “Yes, and he is already feeling better. Healer Crane really gave his old Healer a beating when he found out what kind of potions they had him on. I just wanted to say thank you to you in person, Sir. From the whole family, it means a lot to us. Mum also said that you were welcome any time at the Burrow.” Cyril patted him on the back then. “Well well, the King of Snakes did a good deed? Who knew.” Orion rolled his eyes at him again before turning his attention back to the young wizard. “Tell your mother it was nothing and thanks for the invitation. Do contact me if you get any trouble with the hospital. Like I told your brother, I will vouch for you. Now if you two will excuse us we have an appointment with the Headmistress.” Granger looked frantic for a second before she started to pull at the red head’s arm. “Come on, Ron. We are making them late. Sorry, Sir, we will leave you to it. Let’s go to lunch, Ron.” The tall wizard only snickered at her but nodded in agreement. They both waved at the two Auror’s before starting their journey down the stairs. “So when did you help his brother?” The pair started to walk towards their destination again. “It was the night that Artemis woke up. Zach and I borrowed the fireplace in their shop in Diagon to get to the hospital and it was easy to see that everything was not as it supposed to be. I should visit them soon.” Orion mumbled the last part to himself but it was obvious that is companion heard him with the glint he could see in the other man’s eyes. “Unexpected of you. He had to look downright dead if you got Healer Crane to help.” Orion hummed in agreement. “He looked more like a drug addict on a downward spiral than a recovering patient. So I could not overlook it.” The auburn haired wizard whistled a low note. “He lost his twin right? Can’t be easy.” The blond shook his head as they stopped in front of the statue up to the Headmistress’s office. However, before Orion got to say the password Cyril stopped him. The other wizard put his hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a serious expression. “Before we go up. What do we actually tell her?” He thought about it for a second before replying. “It was a personal issue but it is now resolved and is nothing more to speak of. She can’t force us to tell her anyway as we are not students and if she tries to go to Robards with it… well, I suppose we just tell him the gist of it all.” The other wizard sighed before rubbing his eyes. “Where were we even going with what happened in the bedroom? Would you seriously have let that continue?” Orion cleared his throat then and met the eyes of the other man. “Perhaps.” Cyril looked stunned for a second before he shook his head almost violently. “Let’s talk about that later, time to get yelled at.” The other wizard said the password to the statue and they both got on a step and let themselves be carried upwards. 

Robards was tapping his foot with his arms crossed as he gave both of the Aurors a disappointed look. “Gentlemen, you better have a good excuse for why you were duelling on school grounds and in the direct vicinity of the students.” Orion bit his lip in annoyance, of course, the Headmistress had called on their boss when she did not get a good enough explanation as to why they had been duelling. Not that it had been much of a duel since Zacharias had interrupted them before Cyril even had flung a spell back at him. “Sorry, Sir but that is a personal matter between me and Auror Thompson but I can assure you that it has been resolved.” The Head Auror’s eyebrows furrowed as he studied them closely. He eyed the Headmistress who was sitting behind her desk with a disappointed look on her face. They had already spent a good ten minutes telling her that it was none of her business before their boss had arrived and Orion was getting sick of repeating himself. “Well, you heard the man, Headmistress. It seems to be resolved so I will be going back to work if that is alright.” McGonagall looked shocked at their boss's indifference to the matter. “Excuse me, Mr Robards but this is a serious matter! Some of my students might have gotten hurt in the exchange of spells and I assure you that I would never have heard the end of it from the parents if that happened.” “That didn’t happen though, so frankly I don’t see the problem. I am far to busy to babysit my employees Ma’m. Besides, I have an inkling as to what it could have been and I assure you that it is indeed neither of our businesses.” Robards winked at them both and Orion felt himself relax slightly. The Headmistress was quiet for a long time just watching them all in turn before sighing. “Fine. However, there is another reason why I called you here today. I have gotten more threats to Mr Malfoy’s life but this time it comes outside of the castle.” Robards turned serious again as he turned to face her completely. “Pardon, Ma’m but it is Auror Blackmoore that is the main leader of this operation why is she not present for this?” The old witch huffed. “I will be honest with you, Sir but I do not trust that witch. She had made too many mistakes.” Anger flared up in Orion by the witch’s words and he looked at his boss with a frown. “Sir!” Robards held his hand up to Orion making him shut his mouth quickly. “I’m sorry McGonagall but Auror Blackmoore is one of my most trusted agents so why the mistrust?” The Headmistress looked at the wizard with a surprised expression. “’ Most trusted’? I have to disagree, Auror Robards, that witch is a menace. All the years she went to school here it was problems after problems. I will have you know she almost murdered several students! If it was up to me she would be in Azkaban.” Orion’s rage was dangerously close to the bursting point and he clenched his fists feeling his nails digging into his skin. “I’m sorry, Ma’m but I will not stand here and listen to you talk nonsense about one of my colleagues in that manner so if you had anything to report to us then say so or I will be leaving.” Everyone looked to Orion with surprise but in the end, the older witch huffed and pulled out a letter from her desk and gave it to the Head Auror. The wizard read the letter a couple of times without showing any hints on what it was about until he gave it to Cyril who shared it with Orion. It looked like any ordinary threat letter that the blond had seen over the years in his career. A simple statement of death if he did not do as told and the order to transfer money to a vault at Gringotts. “This doesn’t even mention Mr Malfoy’s name and it’s so generic. How are you even sure it is addressed to him?” Cyril asked the Headmistress with a raised eyebrow. “It is the same formula as the other letters he got earlier this year also the same handwriting. Of course, the wards stop them from going to him and instead they go directly to my office.” Orion took a peek at his boss who was standing with his arms crossed again, deep in thought. “Keep doing what you have been doing, gentlemen. I will return to London and I will take those letters with me, Headmistress. I will have some of our experts look at them.” He reached out his hand to the witch who looked reluctant to give him the papers but in the end, found the rest of them and handed them over. It looked like it was ten in total if Orion were to guess. “Very well, Mr Robards. I will inform you if I get anymore. Do you think this could have a link between the attack on the boy in the Leaky Cauldron?” Robards looked thoughtful before he answered. “It is hard to say. I got some of my best agents on it but it seems like the Death Eaters have just vanished into thin air. However, the wizard that Auror Zabini and Silver found was nothing more than an extra pair of hands but we found a large amount of money that had recently been transferred to his vault shortly after the job was done. So the wizards behind this have big pockets. It is not much of a clue but it something.” The old witch’s eyes grew wide again. “You don’t think someone is paying these villains to make his life more miserable?”. The Head Auror simply shrugged before he smiled politely at her then before turning towards the fireplace and throwing some floo powder into it. “Ah yes, one more thing before I go. Headmistress, I would like it if you didn’t talk such bloody bullshit about my employees again. Good day.” The wizard gave the other two Auror’s a wink before he stepped into the green flames and vanished. The Headmistress herself looked dumbstruck where she was seated in her chair but quickly turned back to normal. She waved at them both then. “You may leave.” Orion turned on his heels immediately and he was followed by Cyril as they both stepped onto the steps of the statue and were slowly brought down into the corridor again.

Artemis had run down to the second floor before she stopped and took a deep breath. Her cheeks were still hot from embarrassment and she could still feel Cyril’s lips on her neck. As Cyril had braided her hair her body had relaxed to the point where she could most likely fall asleep but as Orion had gotten up to change she had found herself staring at him. The little pulse of lust had escaped through the bond before she had managed to stop it but she would never have thought the blond would act on it. Somehow her brain had turned completely off when the two wizards had started touching her together and she had just let herself go. This had never happened before when it was only her and Orion in bed but together with Cyril, her body turned into putty. Students looked at her weirdly as she screamed into her hands and stomped her feet. The brunette then took a deep breath again as she straightened her clothes and started to walk towards the Great Hall for lunch. While the brunette walked she felt around for anything out of the ordinary with the bond, it wasn’t a complete lie when she had told the other wizards that she had dropped something because she had. It was her hairbrush but the reason for her clumsiness was because of that branding mark suddenly sparking in pain once more. This time it was obviously not something that could be ignored and had it not been for the awkward situation she had just run away from the witch would have asked Orion about it. However, before she managed to think more about it the brunette got stopped by Potter who was surprisingly alone right by the entrance to the Great Hall. “Auror Blackmoore!” She smiled at him. “Good day, Mr Potter. Is everything ok?” The wizard grinned at her before looking guilty. “Everything is alright, Miss. Did you get any sleep last night?” She grinned at him in return. “No, but I tricked Auror Zabini into going to History of Magic instead of me so I took a nap at the office.” The raven head laughed. “He was the first to fall asleep but I think the whole class was asleep within the first ten minutes. At least I was. Anyway, Malfoy is eating in his room, said he had a lot of homework to catch up on. We have a free period after lunch you see.” Artemis nodded at the younger wizard. “Alright, thank you for the information, Mr Potter. I’ll go down to the dungeons then.” He grinned at her again before going into the Great Hall. The brunette wondered what had gotten the boy into such a high spirit but decided that in the end, that was not really what mattered. Artemis took the shortcut that leads straight into the Slytherin common room and was relieved to find nobody there. At this time most of the students would be eating lunch after all. Carefully, she knocked on the young blond’s door and immediately heard him yelling “Enter” from the other side. Snickering she entered the room, it was less messy this time around but some papers were lying around on the floor, probably rejects for homework she assumed. “Hiding in the snake den today, Draco?” The boy jumped in his chair from her voice and he was quick to cover whatever he was writing. “Artemis! What are you doing here?” The brunette looked at him puzzled. “Mr Potter told me that you were having your lunch here today. If you want some peace and quiet I can leave again.” A blush crept up the boy’s neck and she had to bite her tongue not to laugh. “It’s fine! Really, I don’t mind the company.” Artemis smiled at him and went to sit down in the chair that was placed right next to his desk. She noticed a plate with a simple sandwich and a glass of water on the desk then. “Mips got you that I assume?” Draco looked at the food for a second before nodding. “I hope you don’t mind me calling her.” The brunette shook her head. “Of course not. She likes you.” The boy blushed again as he put the top parchment at the bottom of the stack of papers. “What are you working on?” “History of Magic. We got an assignment of writing about the origins of the old Heads of Houses.” Artemis rolled her eyes. “He never got sick of that theme it seems. I wrote two of those when I was a student here.” Draco chuckled and silence folded over the room. The young blond ate while writing down something occasionally and Artemis settled into the chair. The light in the room was pleasant as soft sunlight came through the windows, a sign that the lake was calm on the surface. Some sort of sea creatures swam by from time to time but didn’t look interested in what was beyond the glass and continued on their way. A wave of anger flowed through the bond then and the brunette sent a question in return. A minute passed before she got reassurance back and she wondered for a second what the other wizard was doing at that moment. She silently hoped that another fight had not broken out between him and Cyril as she was once again reminded of what they had done in the bedroom. Artemis wondered if they would have kept going if it was not for Zabini interrupting them. That was also when she realised the slip of the tongue the dark wizard had. They knew now that both of them had spent a night together and even though it was in a drunken state and a long time ago it still happened. She would probably have to explain to Orion later when and how it had happened and was already dreading it. The brunette turned to study the young wizard from the corner of her eye then. He looked better these days. From the moment Artemis had returned she had forced him to quit the Dreamless Sleep potions and promised to come to his side if he needed it but so far the boy had slept soundly, if not all night, at least enough. Peeves were keeping a close eye on him again as well which made it easier. 

Artemis took a deep breath as she was once again reminded about what Severus had told her to say. This was the perfect opportunity to do so. It was just them alone in the room and he could have whatever reaction he wanted to without trying to hide it. The brunette took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes before just deciding to jump to it. The blond was already looking at her in question when she turned to look at him in return. “Listen, Draco. This might sound crazy but while I was in a coma I had this dream. I met Severus and he told me to tell you something for him.” Draco looked sceptical for a second before he nodded for her to go on. “Tell my Godson that he is doing a good job protecting the ones he loves.” Artemis sat quietly and watched the young wizards face change from surprise to sorrow then determination. “I guess he is watching us from above.” The brunette studied him before she reached out and touched his cheek carefully. “He was proud of you. I’m sure of it.” His eyes turned glossy for a second as he smiled softly. “Thank you.” As she was about to reply a sharp pain came from the branding mark making her grab his shoulder for support. Alarmed Draco quickly got up from his chair to sit in front of her and grabbed her shoulders to support her. “Artemis? You alright?” She let out a grunt as the pain got even worse, it felt like someone was hammering a nail into her heart and it was getting difficult to breathe. “S… Something isn’t r… right.” Slowly she felt her consciousness slipping and she could feel the demon resurface on its own. It was furious and wanted blood. Slowly the nail seemed to sink further down and she let out a scream while she clutched her chest. His grip on her shoulders tightened. “It’s the branding mark, right? Is the Master hurting you?” Through the pulses of pain, she managed to give him an amused expression. “No… not homework was it?” Draco gave her an angry expression in return. “This is not the time for jokes! What is happening?” Artemis took a few deep breaths before she managed to reply. “It's not the Master… so… something else is happening. It's not right.” She screamed again as the pain doubled in intensity and the demon was raging against her own will. Black smoke was spreading around her and the young Slytherin looked afraid. “Tell me something I can do to help, please!” He had knelt down on the floor to look at her face. Tears were flowing down her face from the pain and she knew her eyes had now turned gold at this point. “R… run. Find… everyone. Quickly.” Draco got up and sprinted to the door and as she could hear his retreating steps she got up on shaky legs only to fall to the floor. The pain was making it hard to concentrate as the smoke spread out in the room and in the corner of her eye she could see the ice beginning to form. Artemis bit down on her own arm to keep herself focused as she suddenly realised she had felt like this once before. That ended in a massacre.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


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